A Fallen Angel
by MidnightRose72
Summary: After everything that has happened to Tea and her friends, a simple dueling match should be fun right? Wrong. It takes a turn for the worst, causing Tea to rely upon someone who she despises. Seto Kaiba. Yet is this cold and unfeeling demon really a fallen angel in disguise? Tea is going to find out...whether she wants to or not. (Rated M for further chapters)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"**Rough Beginnings"**

"Hey Yugi!" A tall brunette cried as she raced down the sidewalk in a plain grey skirt and a faded yellow blouse. The boy blushed slightly but it quickly faded as he raised his hand in greeting.

"Hey Tea, what's going on?" Yugi asked as Tea came rushing up to him, breathless and filled with excitement.

"Haven't you heard, yet?" Tea asked as she handed him a crumpled flier. On the front were Duel Monsters battling with one another and on the back were elaborate symbols and designs with an invitation to all Duelers to participate in the Culling of Duelists. Yugi immediately was filled with excitement as his violet eyes shot up to Tea's warm and smiling blue ones.

"You mean you got an invitation?!" Yugi yelled as she nodded.

"I knew that you'd love it!" She replied with a wide grin and before Yugi could think twice about it, he wrapped his arms around her. Tea chuckled as she squeezed back and Yugi could have happily died right then and there.

"Hey what's with da smilin' faces?" Joey asked as he came out of the nearby café holding two ice cream cones, one already in his mouth. Yugi pulled away to quickly show his friend the flier.

"Look what Tea got!" He shouted and Joey's eyes went wide as the ice cream cone nearly fell from his mouth.

"No way!" He sputtered out as he grasped onto the flier. "This can't be whut all them broadcasters have been talkin' bout for the past months can it?" Joey looked down at his little friend, "Do you know what this means Yuge? It means we get another shot at the big leagues!" He shouted his rough street boy accent slurring his words. "Then I'll be able to get a piece out of whoever Isaac Stone is and show him that Joey Wheeler is a force to be reckoned with!"

"Oh come on Joey don't get too full of yourself just yet." Tea warned and Yugi nodded his head in agreement.

"Tea's right Joey, we don't know who this new opponent is and how good they are but I'm sure that with practice and hard work we'll be able to come out on top." Yugi said with a smile and Joey looked down at his friend before nodding in agreement.

"Aw, you're probly right Yuge, but together we'll show'em what great Duelists really are!" Joey said as he fist pumped the air and giving a wide grin, pointed his thumb at himself. "Especially ol' Joey Wheeler, one of the—"

"Stupidest mutts in the world." Came an all too familiar cold voice to the group. They whirled to find a 6'2, lean and all too deadly and sinister eighteen year old behind them. Seto Kaiba head of Kaiba Corp stood there, a silver briefcase in hand with a cold, bemused smirk on his lips. Joey, always taking the bait, narrowed his eyes at him.

"Hey now Kaiba, I ain't no mutt!" Joey barked with a low growl but Kaiba only glared at him, a smug smile on his lips.

"Really," he said as he came closer and his grin grew more sinister as he racked his penetrating blue eyes over Joey's form, "you certainly smell like one." He stated and Joey's eyes went wide before he balled his hands into fists.

"Why you—" Joey started but was halted by a very ticked off brunette.

"Jerk!" Tea fumed as she glared up at Kaiba, for he towered over them easily. He flicked his piercing blue eyes over to her angry ones and he gave a dismissive sound in the back of his throat.

"Can you not come up with a better come back than that?" Kaiba asked in a mocking tone and Tea's lips thinned.

She hated how he did that...

"I could but I wouldn't want to waste my breath on the likes of you," she retorted and Kaiba grinned wickedly and at the back of Tea's mind she wondered if he ever really did _smile _or _laugh. _

"Yes, the likes which tower over you." Kaiba remarked and Tea's eyes went wide in shock before they narrowed and her hand itched to wipe that wicked grin off of his devishly handsome face.

"Kaiba, what are you doing here? Don't you usually drive?" Yugi asked as he peered around and Kaiba flicked his eyes down to Yugi.

"I don't have to tell you." He replied calmly and Yugi blinked up at him and Kaiba tilted his head, seeing the flier in Joey's hands. Reaching out he plucked it from Joey's fingers and studied it. "Don't tell me you and the geek squad are going to enter in this tournament?" He asked mockingly and Tea glared at him.

"And why shouldn't we?" Tea asked and Kaiba barely spared her a glance as his gaze went back to Yugi who was now frowning up at him.

"Is something wrong with the tournament?" Yugi asked and Kaiba snorted as he dropped the flier. Yugi yelped and quickly grabbed it before it could fly away.

"No, it's expected of you." Kaiba replied and went to move past them but Joey stepped in front of him.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He shouted in anger and Kaiba gave him a bored expression, tinged with annoyance. Giving an irritated sigh he glared down at Joey.

"That simple-minded duelists would enter that dueling tournament, such as yourselves." He stated and Joey gave out a low growl, barring his teeth in a snarl.

"Kaiba—" Joey snarled and Kaiba narrowed his strikingly dangerous eyes.

"My, my, the dog bares its teeth." He interrupted smoothly, only flaming Joey's anger further. "As much as I'd love to continue our current banter, I have work to do." His tone was dismissive and with that he went to walk past them but heated words stopped him once more.

"We aren't objects to be used and then tossed aside Kaiba! We're living, breathing people with opinions and feelings!" Tea snapped at him and Kaiba sighed as he glanced over his shoulder at the exquisite brunette. He couldn't help but like how fire would leap into her eyes and make her cheeks flush.

"More speeches again, Gardner?" He asked but the retort was soon forgotten as she plunged ahead.

"Kindness and friendship mean nothing to you! That's why you don't have any friends because contrary to what you believe about yourself about being all high and mighty you're not! You don't know friendship because even with all your power and genius you still don't know anything." Tea spat at him, her voice laced with venom and both Yugi's and Joey's eyes went wide.

Even for Tea, it was a little harsh...

Kaiba's eyes glittered and if looks could kill, she would have died several times over but she wasn't about to back down. She lifted her chin in the air as Kaiba took a threatening step towards her.

"I don't need friends, their irrelevant, much like you." He whispered before whirling and Tea blinked at his retreating back. His words had struck a nerve that she didn't even know was there but she clamped her jaw and reminded herself of her anger and it came flooding back to her.

"What a…what a…" she desperately thought for the right word to describe Seto Kaiba but it was escaping her at the moment.

"It's alright, Tea, let's go meet Mia and Tristan at the rollerblading park," Yugi said with a calm smile and Tea looked down at her friend. Yugi was such a kind and caring person, always looking for the best in any situation.

Tea gave an irritated, but defeated sigh and managed to smile back at him. Nodding her head in agreement she let Yugi take her arm as her eyes went down the sidewalk to Kaiba's retreating back.

His words came back to her...

For a moment...

She'd thought she'd seen sadness lurking in his striking blue eyes...

VVVV

Who was she to talk to him like that? She had no right, no damn right! He could feel his anger boiling over but he raised his chin, quickly and efficiently cutting it off and placing it deep inside himself. He usually never got angry, not giving into his emotions but there was something about her that got underneath his skin.

He snorted and dismissed it...

The door to the limo was opened and Kaiba seated himself inside. Giving strict directions to his driver he opened his laptop and started tweaking his new designs that he'd created for a new disk.

Work was always there for him...

How ironic...

He didn't know why the brunette's words had made him so angry but it seemed as if she'd struck a nerve he thought he'd long ago removed. He glanced out the window.

He'd have to remedy that...

VVVV

Tea absent mindedly sucked on her smoothie as she pondered what had happened earlier. She watched as Joey and Mia tried skating together and nearly joked when Joey landed on his butt.

"I'm glad you're laughing again." Yugi said from across her and Tea looked at him. "You've been frowning for the past few hours now." Yugi's smile was filled with relief and joy and Tea blinked.

"Oops, I'm sorry Yugi," Tea apologized and she resisted the temptation to laugh again as Joey wiped out. "I guess I'm still angry over what happened earlier with Kaiba." She stated, her mind flashing back to cold, angry blue eyes. Yugi sighed, drawing her attention back to him.

"I think that's why he's so angry all the time, because he doesn't have anyone he can rely on." Yugi whispered and Tea narrowed her eyes.

"He'd have plenty of people if he stopped being such a jerk and smiled once in awhile." Tea flared as she sipped on her smoothie and Yugi glanced at her.

"I agree, but it must be hard for him. He's such an independent person that the thought of opening up to anyone is out of the question for him. It must be lonely." Yugi whispered and Tea's eyes widened before a soft smile graced her pink lips.

"Yugi, you really are a great person!" Tea said with a laugh and leaning over she placed a kiss on Yugi's cheek. Yugi's eyes went wide as his cheeks flared crimson and he stared at her, his mouth open. Tea smiled at him, still laughing and shaking her head. "I'm glad that we're friends, I just wish that Kaiba could see that it's not a bad thing to rely on someone, to trust them and treat them like a human being and not an ant he can crush underfoot." Tea remarked as her eyes again found Joey and Mia. Joey was still hopelessly falling down and Tristan was laughing at him as he tried to help him up. Mia was only shaking her head, her face pinched in annoyance but her eyes were smiling.

"Thanks, Tea." He said finally, snapping himself out of his little daze. Tea flashed him a joyous smile, her anger forgotten.

"I should be the one thanking you." Tea said and Yugi blushed slightly at her smile but quickly hid it.

"Well, that's what friends are for. To cheer the other on and never give up on them." Yugi stated and Tea nodded in agreement.

"Exactly, but let's forget about Seto Kaiba for a little while and have some fun! After all, you guys are leaving tomorrow after school so we better not waste a moment of our time together!" Tea shouted and grasping Yugi's arm hauled him out onto the rollerblading area, laughing and having the time of her life and wishing that these precious moments would never end.

VVVV

Kaiba sighed as he rubbed a tired hand over his face. He was almost done with the reports and was ready to email them when the door to his office was rudely burst through. Before he could open his mouth and rebuff the ignorant intruder a ball of energy with raven black hair and shining eyes jumped into his lap, nearly knocking his lap top to the floor.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba shouted in surprise and annoyance but it was tinged with affection and the boy laughed with joy as he wrapped his arms around his older brother's neck.

"Seto! You're home!" Mokuba shouted in his ear and Kaiba winced at his loud voice but a smile touched his lips.

"Yes, now be quieter or you're going to have to make me get hearing aids." Kaiba warned as he set his lap top aside and hugged his little brother. Mokuba laughed before pulling away to look up at him.

"Sorry, big brother, but I was just so excited to see you that I forgot." He said with a cheeky grin and Kaiba's usually cold heart warmed at that smile.

It was filled with so much joy and warmth and love...

Kaiba decided that he could bear whatever the world threw at him just as long as his little brother was safe and happy.

"It's okay, I forgive you. Now," Kaiba said as he set him on the ground, "have you finished your homework?" Kaiba asked and Mokuba nodded. "Good." Kaiba said while standing and he smiled down at him. "We're going out for ice cream." At his words Mokuba's eyes lit up.

"What? Really?!" He shouted and Kaiba winced but didn't say anything, only smiled.

"Yes, now go get your coat, the wind is still a little chilly and I don't want you catching a cold." Kaiba warned and Mokuba shouted with joy as he tore from the room to fetch his coat. Kaiba watched him go, a soft smile on his lips before going back to his lap top. Quickly tapping on the keys he sent the needed files and grabbing his own coat met Mokuba at the bottom of the giant marble stairs.

It was after all...

The Kaiba Mansion...

"Ready?" Kaiba inquired and Mokuba nodded eagerly. "Alright then, let's go." Kaiba said and held the door as Mokuba dashed through it.

Kaiba followed, not calling for the limo, for he wanted to spend as much time with his little brother as he could, they started walking down towards the giant iron gates. Once through them they turned and started walking down the street.

"How was school?" Kaiba inquired and Mokuba didn't need any further encouraging before launching ahead. His words were beginning to slur together but Kaiba smiled and nodded, watching him with warmth in his eyes. He was always so joyful and filled with energy that it made him forget about his worries.

If only for a little while...

"—and then after that John said that he had gotten me out but really he didn't, the gym teacher said so, so he had to go sit against the wall for lying." Mokuba finished as they came up to an ice cream stall and Kaiba nodded.

"One mint cone and a chocolate chip one." Kaiba ordered as he glanced back down at his brother. "That sounds interesting." He remarked and the younger Kaiba brother nodded.

"It was but then later on John challenged me to a duel in Duel Monsters, saying something about a new tournament that was being held." Mokuba said as Kaiba received the two cones and Kaiba frowned as he handed Mokuba his mint cone.

"Tournament?" Kaiba questioned and Mokuba nodded as he eagerly licked it, splashing ice cream all over his nose. Kaiba sighed as he reached up and wiped it away for him and Mokuba smiled up at him.

"Yep, I think the Host is named Stone or something like that, John said that he was a nephew of his or something." Mokuba said as he greedily dug in and Kaiba would have smiled at his vigor but narrowed his eyes instead.

"You're not entering the competition." Kaiba said firmly and Mokuba frowned up at him.

"Why not?" He asked and Kaiba licked his own cone.

"Because, I don't like it and don't want you entering it." Kaiba said and Mokuba started to pout but heeded his older brother's words.

"Alright, I didn't want to anyway." Mokuba said and Kaiba gave a slightly relieved sigh and smiled at him.

"Eat like a gentlemen," Kaiba said sternly, though his eyes were smiling and Mokuba laughed up at him.

"Okay, big brother, I'll try." Mokuba said with cheerfulness and started to eat his cone carefully but to no avail a piece dropped onto his chin and Kaiba chuckled.

VVVV

Tea halted when she saw the two Kaiba brothers standing there. They were eating ice cream and smiling, Kaiba was even laughing! Tea couldn't believe it! She watched, slack jawed and wide eyed as the two began walking towards her.

If she hadn't know who they were she would have just assumed that they were two brothers out for ice cream, not the infamous Seto Kaiba who was ruthless to the core, never showing emotion besides mockery and contempt towards others with his little brother who was the exact opposite, always trying to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.

Her staring seemed to draw attention to herself and she jumped when Kaiba glanced around, his eyes falling on her with a predatory, evil glint. Mokuba noticed her as well and waving at her, bounded over.

"Hey Tea!" Mokuba shouted as he came to a screeching halt beside her and Tea snapped her eyes down to Mokuba's.

"Hello, Mokuba," Tea said as she smiled down at him and after a moment she raised her eyes to Kaiba's icy ones, "Kaiba." She whispered and Kaiba narrowed his gaze at her.

"Gardner," he replied in a civil tone and Tea frowned but her attention was reverted back to Mokuba.

"What are you doing out here?" Mokuba asked and Tea smiled at him, almost overwhelmed with his energy but she liked it.

"Oh, I just got done rollerblading with the guys." Tea said and glanced at the ice cream cones. Her eyes widened when she saw one in Kaiba's hand.

She didn't know that he liked ice cream...

"We just got ice cream!" Mokuba said cheerfully as he finished licking his mint cone and Tea laughed, her eyes returning to Kaiba's.

"I can see that," she tilted her head, the slight smile still on her lips, "I didn't know that you liked chocolate, Kaiba." She whispered and Kaiba narrowed his eyes at her. The look he gave her was bone chilling and she blinked in surprise.

"We're leaving Mokuba, say good-bye." Kaiba replied curtly and went to stride past her. Tea jumped and reaching out touched his arm.

"Wait, Kaiba I wanted to say that I'm sorr—" her words were cut off when Kaiba pulled his arm from her grasp.

"As I said earlier, Gardner, you are irrelevant." He bit out before striding away, a remorseful Mokuba in tow. Tea watched them go, her hand still in the air where she'd grasped Kaiba's arm. She'd felt guilty for what she'd said earlier and had wanted to apologize but now…now…she felt even worse. But why should she?! Tea clamped her jaw and whirling, strode angrily home.

When she got there she found a note taped to the refrigerator. Her parents were going out of town again on another business trip so they wouldn't be back for about two weeks, if not a month.

Tea sighed, she'd really wanted to talk to them about what had happened today but they were gone. Wadding the note up into a ball she threw it into the trash and headed for her bedroom to undress, wash her face and hair and plop onto the bed. Even her guilty conscious wasn't enough to keep her awake and she slipped into sleep.

VVVV

Kaiba however, did not gain such an easy access to sleep. Mokuba hadn't been happy about what he'd done to Tea but Kaiba hadn't offered him an explanation, for he wasn't exactly sure why he'd acted the way he did himself, causing Mokuba to be angry.

Later on Kaiba had tried to make up for it but Mokuba hadn't listened to him and had gone to bed angry. Kaiba scowled out at the gardens and rubbed a hand over his face, threading his fingers through his thick hair.

Later on Mokuba might have to make him apologize but if he did then Kaiba would, but only if he did. Kaiba didn't owe her, or anyone else an explanation for what he did, much less an apology.

He sighed and for once he felt tired...

Concern gnawed at the back of his brain and he frowned. He didn't know who this new competitor was and for being head of Kaiba Corporations he had many advantages and sources to tap into but none had so far offered up any real information. This concerned Kaiba but he dismissed it with a slight snort. He'd ordered Mokuba to stay away from the tournament so he didn't care what anyone else did and that included Tea and her friends.

His mind flashed back to the moments of when he'd teased them...

He took pleasure in baiting that mutt Joey Wheeler and aggravating Tea but even on occasions battling Yugi Motto. Deep down inside himself Kaiba had admitted that Yugi was a worthy competitor, the only one in the entire universe in fact that he had any shred of respect for. Anyone else didn't have the brains, or the heart he acknowledged silently, to even come close to his level.

Turning he strode from his office to his bedroom and disrobing down to his boxers, slipped between the silk sheets of his giant bed and closed his eyes, letting the stress of the day slip away as his mind drifted back to angry, beautiful blue eyes that belonged to a very cute, but sexy brunette.

VVVV

AUTHOR NOTE: Okay this is my first fanfiction dealing with Kaiba and Tea, so please review and tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"**Help"**

Tea didn't like waiting...

She wasn't a very patient person. She drummed the pencil against her bottom lip as she watched the clock, desperately wishing that time would hurry up and move faster but to no avail it continued to click slowly, almost tortuously onward. Sighing she glanced over her shoulder to the dark form in the back of the classroom.

Kaiba had his nose in a book, visibly ignoring everyone as if they weren't worthy of his acknowledgement and she could feel the anger rising up inside her once more.

What gave him the right to act like that?

Because he was filthy rich and smart?

As far as she was concerned Kaiba wasn't all that smart, at least not with people anyway...

She glanced back out the window, drumming the pencil against her lip once more. She'd finished her reading assignment and was beginning to get bored out of her mind and her nerves seemed like they were scattering she was so nervous.

It's not like she was going to be dueling or anything but she always got nervous for her friends and today was the day that they would be plugging into the system that would transport them to the virtual world they'd be playing in, but at the end of the day they'd unplug so she'd be able to talk to them then. In the mean time she'd go and see Grandpa and talk with him, see if he needed any help with anything around the Game Shop.

She sighed and her eyes flicked to the clock hanging on the wall above the door. Ten more minutes! She scowled and sighed once more.

"Could you stop sighing? It's annoying." Came an irritated voice from behind her and Tea jumped while looking over her shoulder. Kaiba's eyes hadn't left the book but he'd spoken to her.

"Me?" She whispered in return and Kaiba scowled and glanced up at her.

"No, the monkey in the classroom." He stated and Tea frowned at him.

"In that case it'd be you," she mumbled and glanced back out the window. Unknown to her Kaiba had heard the insult and glared at the back of her head, willing it to explode but it didn't.

Shifting in her seat she placed her head in her hand and went to sigh but realized what she was about to do and bit her bottom lip instead. The ten minutes passed by slowly but finally the bell rang and Tea leapt from her seat.

"Now remember class, don't forget about the project I assigned over Spring Break." The teacher said sternly from behind his desk and the students nodded as they gathered their books and dashed from the classroom, Tea not far behind.

She raced to her locker and threw her books in. Grabbing her backpack she slammed her locker door and whirled, ready to race down the hallway but she nearly collided with a firm chest.

"Watch it, Gardner." Kaiba warned and Tea scowled up at him, her cheeks blushing slightly from nearly colliding with him.

"You could move yourself you know since you knew I was in a hurry." Tea snapped back and Kaiba scowled down at her.

"Why do you always have to be so pig headed?" Kaiba growled as he went to walk past and Tea stuck her tongue out at his back but he glanced over his shoulder right as she did it and she nearly bit it off when she jumped. "And childish." He finished and Tea rolled her eyes.

"I don't have time for this." She mumbled and dashed down the halls. At the doors she halted and smiling broadly raced up to a nervous Yugi and boasting Joey.

"Hey, Tea." Yugi said while smiling at her and Tea smiled back.

"Hey Yugi! Joey," Tea frowned as she watched what he was doing, "what are you doing?" Tea asked for it looked like Joey was attempting to dance.

"What does it look like to ya?" Joey asked as he stretched and twisted, "I'm gettin' ready for the tourney!" He shouted while wiggling his body and Tea raised her brows and Yugi chuckled.

"Oh, alright then." Tea said slowly as she studied her friend and rolling her eyes she concentrated on Yugi. "Where's Tristan at?" Tea asked and then felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Right here and ready to go!" Tristan said with a smile but he frowned as his eyes fell on Joey. "Uh, what's Joey doing?" Tristan asked and Tea shook her head.

"Getting ready for the tournament." Tea stated and Tristan blinked in surprise but shrugged.

"Oh well, let's get going then." Tristan said with a smile and grabbed Joey by the scruff of his uniform. Joey yelped and made sounds of protests as Tristan dragged him out the doors. Tea and Yugi followed after them, smiles on their faces.

They headed down the streets towards the huge universal building that was located in the far southern part of the city. Tea couldn't keep her excitement hidden and she was visibly bouncing up and down.

"Aren't you guys excited?" She asked and the guys shrugged.

"Naw, not too bad cuz Joey will get them all, they won't know what hit'em." Joey remarked and they all shook their heads.

"Remember what Yugi said earlier," Tea warned but Joey was past warning. As he continued to go on Tristan looked towards Tea.

"So Tea what are you going to do while we duel?" Tristan asked and Tea shrugged.

"I figured that I'd stop by the Game Shop and see Grandpa and then meet you guys when you come out." Tea said and Tristan nodded.

"Sounds like a plan." Yugi said and Tea could feel her heart accelerate faster inside her chest.

"Are you nervous, Yugi?" Tea asked and Yugi jumped before sheepishly looking away.

"Sort of, but nothing to worry about." Yugi said with a reassuring smile and Tea returned it.

"I'm sure you guys will do great! And even though I won't be with you cheering you on I'll be on the outside doing the same." Tea said cheerfully and that seemed to put Yugi at ease and Tristan smiled at her.

"That will help us better focus in on our game." Tristan replied and Tea nodded.

"I hope so." She replied with another smile and the crowd of people began to grow thicker and thicker. It became so dense that the four of them stood shoulder to shoulder as they squeezed through the crowds until they approached Stone Stadium. All four of them glanced up at the large, dome shaped building and Tea's eyes almost popped out of her head. For months now it'd been under construction but now it was being revealed and it was huge.

Massive...

"Wow," they all said in unison. Yugi's eyes were as wide as saucers, as were Joey's but his jaw was nearly hitting the cement and Tristan could only stare.

Tea blinked as something came over her...

It almost felt like unease...

She frowned and glanced around but the crowd was pushing them forward, towards the doors.

There were fifteen gates along the outside of the building and people, usually students, were lining up. Bustling forward Tea grasped Yugi by his arm who yelped but quickly followed her, Tristan and Joey in tow.

"Quick, before the lines get too long!" Tea exclaimed as she dragged them over.

As they stood in line Tea shifted from foot to foot. There were a lot of people there and a lot of security too and it wasn't like normal security guards, they were decked out and looked scary.

"Don't you think they're being a little too cautious?" Tea asked Tristan as Yugi excitedly chatted with Joey, who was showing off yet again.

"Hmm, maybe but they probably have a bunch of expensive equipment inside and don't want anyone causing problems." Tristan offered but he didn't sound too convinced himself.

Tea cast worried eyes to Yugi and her heart warmed but she was still worried. Something was definitely off and she was beginning to regret buying that flier and certificate for her friends.

The lines moved forward and it was their turn. The guys turned towards Tea and Yugi gave her a hug.

"Good luck, guys! I'll be cheering for you!" Tea said and they smiled at her.

"Will do!" Joey and Tristan said while moving off to check in their codes and pass through the gate.

Yugi lingered a moment longer...

"Thanks Tea! Say hello to Grandpa for me and tell him I'll be home soon!" Yugi said happily while turning and passing through the gate and Tea waved at them, smiling broadly as she watched them disappear through the doors and into the large dome.

Feeling suddenly alone Tea stood there before someone bumped into her, knocking her out of her little trance. Apologizing she moved off and started down the street towards the shop.

It sounded kind of pathetic but besides the guys she didn't really have any other friends. She knew people and they were friendly but she couldn't necessarily place them as close friends like she did Yugi, Tristan, and Joey.

They were a major part of her life...

But she could do a couple of hours without them, it wouldn't kill her. Raising her eyes to the sky she frowned slightly. It was still blue but she could see large clouds moving in from the south. It wasn't supposed to rain till tomorrow.

Shrugging her shoulders she continued to weave her way through the people that were heading for the Stone Playing Stadium towards the shop.

A few minutes later she was pushing open the door to the cozy little shop and Yugi's grandfather looked up at her. He gave her a wide smile from behind the counter and Tea returned it.

"Hello Tea!" He said cheerfully as he wiped down the counter and Tea nodded.

"Hello," she said while walking up to the counter, "I just stopped by to visit and see if you needed any help with anything." Tea glanced around the shop, noticing that the shelves that were higher up needed to be dusted.

"Oh well how kind of you!" He replied and he frowned as he pondered what needed to be done. "Actually, if you don't mind could you please dust these shelves? Yugi and I can't quite reach them." He said while pointing and Tea nodded.

"No problem!" She said and took the dusting rag from him. Turning she found a little stool and standing on it, carefully dusted the shelf, making sure to get every little particle so that it shined.

It didn't take her long and she'd killed about an hour. Glancing at the clock she thought of what she could do before she had to go meet the guys. Glancing back down at Yugi's grandfather she opened her mouth to ask him another question.

"Do you need any more help?" She asked while handing him back the dusting rag and he shook his head.

"No, that was the only thing that I couldn't reach." Tea frowned at his answer.

"Are you sure that there isn't anything?" Tea asked again but he shook his head no. Accepting his answer she nodded.

"Alright then, I'll be going now!" Tea said as she made her way to the door and waving said, "Yugi told me to tell you hello and that he'll be home soon!" Tea said cheerfully and he smiled and waved in return.

"Good-bye and thank you very much!" He said and Tea nodded as she disappeared through the door. Looking up into the sky she realized that it'd grown darker, but not very, like a light grey. She could probably just go to the stadium early and beat the rain.

Not to mention the crowds...

Turning she walked briskly down the sidewalk back towards the large stadium in the distance.

Minutes later she was making her way towards the entrance when she halted. There was no one, not even a security guard. Frowning but shrugging it off, she passed through the gates and made her way to the doors. They were unlocked and she slipped inside.

The large waiting area was beautiful, with couches, rugs and tables that gave the room an easy, likable appeal.

Yet...

Something felt off...

It was probably because it was empty as well...

"Where is everyone?" Tea asked to the empty air and she looked around. There were tons of hallways that branched off in all directions and she scowled. There weren't even signs to point her in the right direction!

Sighing she decided that she better just wait there and seeing a really comfy looking chair she raced over to it and sat. Minutes later however she was soon bored. There were magazines that she could look at but she didn't read any of them.

Then she heard a muffled shout...

Frowning she glanced around and listened hard. A few seconds later there was another muffled shout. Standing she made her way to the farthest left hallway. It was long and lined with doors and at the far end she could make out a large window. The sky almost looked black but her attention was drawn away from it as she heard another shout, but it wasn't as muffled.

She was getting closer...

Moving down the hallway she refrained from calling out, something told her not to, and she managed to pinpoint the shouting from the farthest door on the left side.

Walking quickly, but quietly, she halted outside the door and pressed her ear against it. Someone sounded like they were scared and in pain.

A lot of pain...

Reaching for the knob she tried it and she gave a relieved sigh when it was unlocked.

Pushing it open she halted when she saw the iron catwalk. Inching into the large, open room she went up to the banister. There was a floor below her and in the middle of the room was a large, dome shaped chair with large, rectangular panels that had a lot of complicated looking buttons on it.

Tea's eyes widened in horror when she saw what was going on. There was a small boy, perhaps eight or nine, that was being held down by security guards and two men in white lab coats were putting needles and other things into his arms.

"Stop it! It hurts! Stop it!" He screamed and Tea pressed the back of her hand to her open mouth. There were four other men at the control panels, typing furiously on them and then there was one who towered above them. He was dressed more elaborately than them, with a stylish long coat and shirt with finely cut khakis and expensive looking leather shoes. He had bleached blonde hair and icy light blue eyes.

Tea swallowed as she recognized him...

His face was after all, being splashed all over the news as a rising competitor in gaming electronics.

Isaac Stone...

Tea looked around, desperately trying to think of a way to help the boy but as she moved out of the shadows the boy must have spotted her.

"Run!" He screamed and Tea halted and looked down at him. His eyes were filled with so much fear that it froze her to the spot. "Run!" He screamed again and she blinked as the men in lab coats turned and looked up at her.

"What are you doing in here?!" Isaac Stone demanded and Tea jumped, stumbling backwards. He whirled to the security guards that were standing in the corner. "Well? Don't let her escape! Go find her and bring her to me!" He shouted and the guards jumped into action. Tea turned and ran back out into the hallway. Red alarm lights were going off and Tea looked around desperately. The doors burst open to reveal more guards in black body armor and Tea yelped and turning sprinted down the hallway towards the large window.

Seeing a huge door that had EXIT on it she burst through it, sending off another alarm but she kicked it closed behind her. Looking around she gasped in horror when she saw all the people hooked up to machines.

She stood there...

Transfixed...

The pounding behind her knocked her out of her daze and she sprinted down the line and towards another door. Pushing it open she was suddenly outside and teetering on another catwalk. She yelped and grasped the wet railing, for it was pouring rain now and it was almost pitch black.

Wiping the rain from her eyes she glanced over her shoulder as the door to the room that was lined with unconscious people burst open, revealing more security guards.

"There she is!" One shouted while pointing at her. Jumping in surprise she went to race down the steps when her foot slipped. Screaming she fell down them, landing hard on her hip and ribs. She winced as the pain lanced up her side but ignoring it she scrambled to her feet.

Looking around in the dark she jumped when lightning flashed overhead, lighting up the parking lot she'd fallen into. Seeing a wire fence at the far end she sprinted towards it, limping slightly from her previous fall.

Grasping it with her fingers she began to climb. Her sneakers slipped against the slippery wire but she managed to pull herself up and over. It wasn't until she'd reached the top that the guards spotted her.

"Get her before she escapes!" She dimly heard and there was another flash of lighting with a burst of thunder and Tea screamed as she lost her balance.

Toppling over the fence she landed hard on a dumpster and the impact knocked the breath from her lungs. Slipping down the side of it she hit the cement and gasped in pain when her knee connected with it.

Her knee was stinging and she knew that it was bleeding but she didn't stop to survey the damage and forcing herself to her feet stumbled down the dark alley.

Where could she go?

Her parents were gone, the police station wasn't anywhere close, and Yugi's grandfather was too far away and probably wouldn't be able to do much anyway.

For an odd reason something came into Tea's mind, as if it was always lurking there and as another flash of lightning lit up the streets she could see the dark shadows of the guards behind her. Fear coursed through her and without another thought she burst into a run, despite the pain in her knee, hip and ribs.

She hoped the figure in her mind would help her...

Needed him to...

VVVV

Kaiba was sitting comfortably on the couch, dimly listening to the weather report after he'd dismissed the maids and servants for the night and frowned when he heard the knock on the door.

Scowling he stood and made his way to the door. The knocks grew more frenzied at the delay and he was about to unleash a full on attack on the unwanted visitor when he opened it. His eyes went wide with surprise as he saw Tea standing there, soaked to the bone, her face streaked with tears and sobbing she threw her arms around him, burring her puffy face into his chest. He stood still and stiff, not knowing what to do.

What the hell?

The thought raced through his mind but he didn't try and push her away. Slowly he wrapped a stiff arm around her shoulders.

She was shivering...

He tightened his arm and brought her into the mansion and out of the rain, closing the door softly behind them. She was still sobbing and shivering and not knowing what to do besides knowing that she had to calm down and get warm he led her into the living room towards the giant fireplace where he sat her in an elaborate armchair, wincing when he realized that she would ruin the furniture.

"What's wrong?" He asked in a quiet, stern voice and Tea raised her tear streaked face to his. He was kneeling down in front of her so that their faces were almost level and he noticed the fear that was in her blue eyes.

"Kaiba," she choked out and her bottom lip quivered. Sighing he reached up and wiped her tears away with his fingers.

"Stop crying and tell me what happened." He replied, the coldness in his voice snapping her out of it.

Slowly she stopped and wiped away the tears...

"You have to help me." She whispered and Kaiba stood, glowering down at her. He racked his eyes over her, noticing her completely soaked clothes that revealed every curve to him, her skinned knee and swollen ankle and the bruises along her smooth, pale skin as if she'd fallen down more than she usually did.

"Why?" He simply asked and Tea's bottom lip quivered as she remembered the boy's terrified screams...

The lines of unconscious gamers...

The fear of being chased through the streets...

She flexed her jaw and raised her chin, clamping down on the emotion...

Parting her lips she told him the whole story, starting from when they'd arrived and ending with when she'd been chased through the alleys by the guards.

"Are you sure this is what you saw?" Kaiba asked sternly and Tea nodded as she shivered. Scowling Kaiba turned and grabbing a nearby blanket threw it around her shoulders. Tea nodded a thanks and he noticed that her usually pink lips were turning blue.

His eyes lingered...

He suddenly had the urge to lean forward and make them pink once more...

But only with his own...

He snorted and dismissed the urge with a clamp of his jaw. Placing his hands calmly behind his back he continued to glower down at her shivering and soaked form.

"Yes, it was Stone and whatever they were doing to them it wasn't good, it was horrible. Kaiba we have to help them!" Tea said as she stared up at him. Her eyes were still filled with brilliant fire despite she was nearly frozen.

"We?" He stated calmly as he lowered down into a chair opposite her. "I don't remember joining the cheerleading squad." He quipped and he expected her to be angry, and she was, only it wasn't quite what he expected.

"Be serious, Kaiba!" Tea snapped as she rubbed her arms and her teeth continued to chatter, "Whatever Stone was doing to those gamers is harming them and if we don't do something about it then all those people might end up dead! Yugi, Joey, and Tristan are in there! I have to help them and will do so without your help but I came here because I _need_ your help, I don't have your resources or influence and somehow I feel like if I go to the police they won't do anything." Tea's words had started angry but they'd slowed and Kaiba stiffened when he saw tears prick her eyes once more. "I couldn't do anything to help, not a single thing, I could only watch then run away. I'm such a coward." Tea mumbled and she buried her face into her arms. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed and Kaiba clenched his jaw.

Glancing into the fire he scowled and stood. Tea's quiet sobbing seemed to echo in the suddenly quite room and his scowling grew worse. Turning he placed a hand on her shoulder and she stopped.

"Gardner, if it's one thing I know, and I know a lot mind you, it's that you're no coward." Tea slowly raised her face at his stern but soft voice, "You're there for your friends, cheering them on and giving them support no matter what, no matter how annoying it is," Kaiba muttered underneath his breath, "but you're there and in that situation it was smart to go find help." He squeezed her arm, "For once, you were _smart, _not a coward." He stated and though he'd insulted Tea, she did in fact, feel a little better and it wouldn't be until moments later that she would realize that his insults were meant to smack her out of her grieving state.

And they did...

A soft smile touched her blue lips and she wiped the tears from her eyes. Kaiba slowly pulled away but did not rise and Tea's small smile grew slightly.

"Thank you, I know I must be poor company with my appearance and emotional state." Tea muttered as she shivered once more. Kaiba didn't say anything and Tea tried to figure out what he was thinking for his face was emotionless.

Like a mask...

She dimly wondered what the real Kaiba was like...

"Does it hurt?" Kaiba asked softly as he leaned forward and touched her knee. His palm was warm against her freezing skin and Tea gasped as it raced up the inner part of her knee to the bottom of her belly and suddenly racing heart.

"Yes," she lied, for it didn't really but she didn't want him touching her.

At least...

That what was she told herself...

"Can you walk?" He asked and Tea stiffened.

"I think." She whispered and as Kaiba rose, Tea tried to as well. She managed to stand for a few moments but she was so cold and tired that all of her energy seemed to disappear at once.

"Ah!" She cried as she fell forward and Kaiba grunted as he caught her. She stiffened as his skin touched hers and she tried to scramble off of him, apologizing as she tried to but Kaiba only growled low in his throat.

"Stop moving before you fall down again." He snapped and she yelped as he scooped her up bridal style. Surprised she stared up at him as he walked from the room back into the foyer and then up the marble staircase.

His arms were so warm...

So strong around her...

So secure...

His chest was wide and deep...

She swallowed and glanced up at him...

Her cheeks flushing at her thoughts...

"Um, sorry for having to make you carry me." She whispered and Kaiba glanced down at her. The look was of vague annoyance but he always seemed to wear either that mask or the indifferent one.

"You don't have to _make _me do anything." He replied as he reached the top and turned down one of the elaborate hallways. "But you could lose a few pounds." He retorted and Tea's head snapped up.

"Excuse me?" She snapped between her teeth chattering and Kaiba almost smiled.

He certainly loved baiting her...

She weighed no more than a child, and acted like one too he mused...

"Now you're deaf too Gardner? Doesn't surprise me." He stated and she glared up at him.

"You—" She started but was cut off when Kaiba reached the end of the long hallway and kicked open a door. Inside was a beautiful bedroom, nearly as large as her apartment with a bed that could easily hold six people with elaborate furnishings and décor.

Tea was speechless so she wasn't exactly paying attention to Kaiba and so missed his smug smile at the fact that he'd finally got her to shut up for a few seconds. He crossed the large room to another door that was open and inside was a bathroom the size of Tea's apartment kitchen.

The tiles were breathtaking, as were the walls and bath that was like a hot tub and in the corner was a walk in shower. The mirrors were large and slanted with beautiful silver designs and Tea gasped.

Kaiba approached the tub and gingerly set her down on the bathroom rug. Turning it on hot he plugged it and threw some soap in.

Tea watched him...

A frown on her face...

"Um, what are you doing?" Tea chattered out as she shook like a leaf on the floor and Kaiba raised a brow at her.

"Drawing you a bath because you smell like trash and need to get warm." He stated it as if it were a known fact and Tea glared up at him but was secretly screaming with joy.

"Thanks, I guess." Tea said and she tried to stand but her leg gave out and she cried out in pain. Kaiba caught her once more, giving an irritated sigh as he did so.

"Be more careful." He growled above her and Tea felt her heart accelerate inside her chest.

"Sorry," she mumbled and Kaiba leaned away to set her down on the side of the tub. She was still shivering and her teeth were chattering horribly.

Kaiba knelt down in front of her and before she could process what he was doing he'd started to remove her shoes. His quick, long fingers easily undid the shoe laces and his gentle hands eased the slick, mud splattered shoes off. She watched him, too drawn into his gentle, fluid movement to realize what he was doing.

Then his fingers ran up her calf to the hemline of her knee high sock...

She gasped...

Fire raced into her veins and she watched him, wide eyed, as he drew the sock down and slowly over her swollen ankle and then off.

His eyes lingered over her ankle and Tea's breath hitched in her lungs. Having him looking at her like that, at her bare flesh, made her quiver and he gingerly touched the swollen flesh with his fingers. She gasped softly and Kaiba whispered something but Tea couldn't quite hear it over the pounding in her head.

His eyes slid up to hers and she was trapped in those endless depths. They were so dark, so fierce. In the depths held secrets, and a hunger, deep and thrilling but for what Tea wasn't quite sure.

She felt her body respond and she swore that she'd felt him come closer and she'd opened to him but then the wall came down. He stood swiftly and glowered down at her. Turning, he was at the door in one stride.

"Bathe, I'll be back shortly." He advised the tone indifferent and it shocked her out of her daze as he shut the door firmly.

Tea blinked and was shocked to realize that her body was warm, prickly and her breathing was short. Reaching up she touched her cheeks and jumped when she felt how warm they were. Horrified she tried to stand to go over to the mirror but she yelped at the pain that leapt from her ankle to race up to her hip and ribs.

She probably bruised them...

Sighing she reached up and unbuttoned the buttons on her blouse, unclasped her bra, slipped out of her skirt and panties and seeing a nearby heater placed her undergarments on them before gingerly lowering herself down into the still steaming water.

She moaned as the water lapped against her sore and abused skin and closing her eyes she finally let herself relax. Getting chased through the alleys by men that wanted to kill her had scared her, and scared her bad, but as soon as Kaiba had wrapped an arm around her and brought her into his house she'd felt safe.

Protected...

As she did now...

Tea sat up at that thought and looked around at the beautiful bathroom. She could never in her lifetime afford anything close to this yet this was probably a low class bathroom for Kaiba. Her eyes came to rest on the closed door that he'd disappeared through and she remembered having his strong arms around her, his gentle fingers and hands, his voice. Though it'd been filled with irritation, the silkiness of it, the low calming quality it oddly had was soothing.

She jumped at the thought, jostling her sore hip and ribs and she gave out a hiss of unexpected pain. This was Kaiba she was thinking about! The idea shocked and frankly, scared the hell out of her.

Sighing she looked at her abused body, her knee and ankle were swollen, her knee scraped up and bruises covered her arms and legs. Her hip was red and she realized that it also was scraped while her side was turning purple.

Her ribs were really starting to hurt but the warm water was relaxing her...

Slowly her eyes closed...

The last thought that drifted through her head was that she was safe...

With Kaiba...

AUTHOR NOTE: So will Seto help Tea out with her friends? Or will he leave her stranded? We'll find out in the next chapter! Please review I would really like to know what you guys think of my story!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"**Allies"**

_ She was floating..._

_ She was so warm..._

_So relaxed..._

_She sighed, snuggling in closer to the warmth that surrounded her. Her eyes opened lazily to fix upon the face above her._

_ Kaiba looked down at her..._

_ His handsome face was inches before hers and she found herself smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. A smile played about his sensual lips as he lowered his head._

_ She sighed and closed her eyes..._

_ Surrendering to him..._

Tea jolted awake and sat up, splashing water outside of the tub and jostling her sore body. She winced and berated herself for being such an idiot. Taking calm, even breaths she looked around. She was still in the bath and it was still warm.

She must have dozed off...

Suddenly the dream came back to her and she flushed, remembering the sensation of being held in his arms.

What on earth had she'd been imaging?!

She shook her head and blocked the memory...

To keep her mind off of it, she scrubbed herself clean and managed to get out and dry off, being especially careful with her ribs. It was just as she was wrapping a towel around her when there was a knock on the door. Every nerve instantly went on high alert and Tea stiffened with alarm.

"Who is it?" Tea asked as she hobbled over to the heater and was relieved to find her bra and panties relatively dry. Slipping on her panties she gave out a slight cry of pain when she tried to put her bra on. At the yelp Tea heard the door open behind her and she jumped, instantly grabbing for the towel and tossing a death glare over her shoulder as she did so.

Kaiba stood in the doorway, a shirt and pair of sweats in one hand and a bowl of something that smelled really good in the other. His face was stern, but his eyes were wide and Tea flushed bright red.

"What are you doing? Get out!" Tea shrieked as she tried to cover herself but Kaiba only gave an irritated sigh and setting the bowl and clothes down crossed the room towards her. Tea jumped and tried to back up but Kaiba was faster than her.

"Stop moving Gardner, before you fall down." Kaiba snapped and Tea stiffened, but did as he commanded. He came up behind her, his breathing just above her head and he gave another irritated sigh.

"What are you doing?" Tea managed to ask as she tried to keep her voice even, the dream flashing before her eyes again, and it came out relevantly so but there was a slight quiver to it. Kaiba picked up on it but ignored it.

"You can't even get dressed without someone having to help you," he muttered as he reached up and Tea gasped as his fingers brushed her back as he clasped her bra for her, making sure to avoid her sore ribs. "You must have bruised some of your bones." Kaiba stated and though his tone was even and devoid of emotion along with his face Tea saw how his eyes heated, how they seemed to light fire to her body and make her heart pound so fast in her chest that she couldn't think straight with having him so near.

"Um, don't you have maids or someone that could help me?" Tea sputtered out and Kaiba glanced swiftly at her.

His eyes were so fierce...

Tea quivered...

"No, I sent them home for the weekend and Mokuba is over at a friend's house." Kaiba replied calmly as his eyes left hers to focus on her ribs and Tea's mouth dropped open as her eyes went wide with realization.

They were alone!

Tea tried to cover herself up with a towel but Kaiba reached up and pushed it away. Tea glared at him out of embarrassment and she tried to cover herself again but Kaiba growled a warning.

"Stop, I have to make sure you only bruised them, not broke them." He snapped and Tea jumped.

"How would you know in the first place?" Tea snapped in return and Kaiba glared down at her and Tea forgot for a moment that she was only in her panties, barely wrapped in a towel, in a bathroom in an empty house with what was probably the most dangerous teenage boy at her high school.

If not the entire city...

But it was only for a moment...

"I know a thing or two about broken ribs and cuts." He replied and turning he headed for a cabinet. Pulling open a drawer he reached inside and drew out some medical supplies. Turning he set them on the counter while pushing her onto one of the nearby stools. Tea sat down with a wince and Kaiba glanced at her before grabbing the bowl.

"Here, eat this. It will dull the pain naturally." Kaiba said and Tea glanced at the bowl, noting his long, slender fingers again, before raising her eyes to his.

They held...

Then after a moment she reached out and took it. It was a thick frothy soup that warmed her belly and did in fact, dull the pain.

As she ate Kaiba knelt down in front of her and she blushed when he reached up and gently touched her ribs with his fingers. His gaze narrowed as he felt them and Tea bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"They're not broken, but they're pretty bruised up. If you don't do a lot of moving then you should be fine in a couple of days." He advised and leaning away he grabbed a jar. Opening it revealed a white salve. He dipped his fingers in and gently rubbed it onto her bruised flesh.

Tea kept very still...

She didn't trust herself to speak or move, and the silence it seemed, was only awkward for _her_. Kaiba worked as if he'd done this before, his muscles following an easy pattern that calmed her and drew her in, distracting her from the thought that he was taking care of her wounds when she could have easily done it. Drawing back once more he grabbed the bandages and gently wrapped her hip.

Pulling away he knelt down, gently taking her swollen knee in his hands and Tea gave a startled gasp at how warm his hands were against her skin.

He sighed and reaching behind him dipped his fingers in the ointment again and applied it to her wound. She gave a startled hiss at the stinging pain and Kaiba glanced up at her.

"Stop being a child, it can't hurt that bad." He advised and Tea narrowed her eyes at him.

So much for her thinking that he was kind...

"I didn't say that it hurt." She snapped back and Kaiba raised a brow at her. His face actually didn't look all that irritated. His hands touched the inside of her thigh as he wrapped the bandage around her knee and Tea looked away. Having him touching her like this was making her body do weird things.

Like it had in the dream...

The memory flashed before her eyes and her slight blush grew darker...

That was Seto Kaiba she was thinking about!

"There," he said and stood, "finish your soup and get dressed, or do you need help with that too?" He asked and Tea glared at him.

"No, I don't need help with that!" Tea fumed as she stood, clutching the towel around her but as she tried to put weight on her leg pain shot up her side and she gasped, clutching the sink for support. Kaiba was instantly beside her, a hand on her back as he glared at her.

Oddly...

It felt nice...

"I said don't move around so much, idiot." He grumbled and Tea glared at him.

Scratch what she'd just thought...

"Well I—" Her words were cut off when Kaiba turned, grabbing the shirt and shrugged it on for her. It was large and she realized that it was his. Her eyes went wide but before she could stop him he'd buttoned it for her and Tea blushed when she saw that it came well past her butt.

Then he was picking her up and carrying her out of the bathroom. Tea yelped and clutched onto his shirt while glaring up at him.

"Give someone a warning before you do that!" She snapped and her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment but Kaiba promptly ignored her and Tea's eyes went wide as saucers when she saw the giant bed that could easily have fit seven people.

He walked over to it and placed her on the silk sheets. They felt so nice and soft against her skin. He drew up a blanket and placed it around her.

"There, now dry your hair and get some sleep." He snapped, his voice cold once more and Tea blinked up at him as he tossed her a towel. "I don't want the sheets wet, so dry your hair good." He advised as he turned and strode out of the room.

Tea stared after him...

Slowly she began to dry her hair and noticed that the storm had calmed some. She realized that now, she was quite tired and the pain had dulled considerably.

She was warm...

So warm...

She felt her eyes closing and laying her head against the soft pillows she let the sweet darkness take her.

VVVV

Kaiba paced his study...

He didn't like this...

Not one damn bit...

The TV was going off and Isaac Stone was making a worldwide broadcast. He was apologizing to the world, saying that his product had been proven to be safe but there had been unseen problems occur. People were screaming and yelling at him in the background but his face did not change.

It remained calm...

Impassive...

Cold...

He said that anyone who would make an attempt at breaking into the facility would only jeopardize the lives inside the game. He showed some of the work and Kaiba narrowed his fierce eyes. Flicking off the TV he left his study and made his way down the hall. As he passed one of the brilliant windows that rose up to the ceiling he halted, for there were figures on the outside of the gates. He wasn't alarmed and he wasn't frightened for the security that he himself had placed around the mansion could stop even a full force invasion from the military. He stood there and watched as the figures disappeared back into the night.

He turned and continued down the hall. The huge mansion was silent and it left him able to think. As he pondered over his thoughts he pushed open his door and halted.

Tea lay there...

Her short hair was tussled...

Her lips were parted as her chest rose and fell softly. Her face was calm, unguarded and the moonlight and light from the storm lit up her face. The blanket had pooled down around her waist, his shirt riding up to reveal one long, smooth leg.

His breath caught in his throat...

Beautiful...

He suddenly wanted to run his hands over her again, feel her smooth skin underneath his palms and fingertips. Caress it with his lips and tongue, nibble it with his teeth until he had her crying out his name.

He jolted...

What on earth?

He narrowed his eyes and silently cursed himself for being so stupid. After all she was only a girl, and a girl named Tea Gardner for that matter. Shedding his clothing down to his boxers he sighed as he lowered down onto his bed but not before pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. After taking the time to bandage her wound he didn't want her to catch a cold and ruin his hard work. He stayed at the edge but the bed was so big he could have slept comfortably in the middle without having to touch her.

He turned onto his side, away from her, and closed his eyes. He listened to her soft breathing and could smell the shampoo she'd used. He felt his muscles tighten and he gritted his teeth, effectively shutting her off, but he could still hear her soft breathing and could feel her gentle presence.

Oddly...

It felt wonderful...

VVVV

She was warm...

Safe...

Tea sighed slightly as she opened her eyes. What she saw alarmed her. Kaiba's naked chest was only a few inches from her face and she stiffened when she felt his arms around her. Not being able _not _to stare at him, she did so, marveling at how all his muscles were so ruggedly defined, but put together so perfectly. His arms were toned and warm around her and she swallowed as her insides turned to molten lava.

Then her eyes flicked to his face...

And were trapped there...

His lips were parted slightly and his dark hair was gloriously tussled. She suddenly wanted to reach up and touch the soft tresses with her fingers.

His face was so unguarded...

So beautiful...

The morning light played across his features, exposing the smooth skin that ran over his toned arms, across his shoulder and neck.

She wanted to place her lips there...

At the hollow of his throat...

Her eyes widened and she could have kicked herself but before she could she felt Kaiba shift, tightening his arms around her and she yelped and brought her fist up.

She connected with his hard chest and Kaiba sat up abruptly, muttering muffled curses as he did so. Tea sat up as well, shuffling away from him as he rubbed his chest and glared at her.

"What the hell was that for?" He demanded , his voice still bleary from sleep and her stomach tightened.

It was so sexy...

His eyes were still blurry and he was blinking at her, desperately trying to clear his head but the light colored sheets had pooled around his waist, a sharp contrast against the bronze color of his skin.

He reminded her of a god...

Or demon...

"Tea," he snapped and she jumped, remembering her anger. She glared at him, her cheeks flaming as she pointed a finger at him.

"How the hell did you get in _here?_" She shot back and Kaiba narrowed his fierce eyes at her.

"This is my _room, _after all and _this is my bed._" He growled and Tea's eyes widened.

She'd slept in his bed...

And with him!

She raised her chin, forcing herself to remember her anger and not melt into a puddle on the bed. Tea crossed her arms over her chest and it seemed to ease her vulnerability.

At least a little...

"Then if this is your bed why didn't you move me to another room?" Her angry retort made him snort as he turned and stood.

He couldn't take her breathtakingly beautiful appearance in the morning light anymore. Having her wearing his clothing, his _shirt_ no less, and in _his_ bed with no one due to show up for hours was making his mind and body react in strange, unpleasant ways.

"I don't have to explain myself to _you, _Gardner," he replied, his back to her and her eyes widened.

She never realized how broad it was...

Then his words struck her ears and she blinked. Narrowing her eyes at him she snorted and looked away, not liking how her body prickled with heat as she saw his nearly naked form.

"Fine," she replied and crossed her arms, wincing when she touched her sore ribs. Kaiba peered over his shoulder at her as he pulled on a pair of shorts. He saw her pained expression and frowned.

"Do they still hurt?" He asked as he leaned towards her. Her eyes widened and she flushed, for his chest was still naked.

"Can't you put on a shirt?" She demanded and he halted. He looked at her a moment before straightening and it seemed to make it worse, for she could distinctively see every _possible _muscle but as he did so a crescent shaped scar appeared across chest. It rested along the left side of his chest, running from the corner of his top rib to nearly his collarbone.

She frowned...

"How did you get that?" She asked while leaning forward and gently tracing it with her finger.

Kaiba froze...

His fierce eyes darkened and when Tea looked up into his face her heart nearly stopped...

"Like I said," he whispered, his voice like ice, "I don't have to explain myself to you." With that he pulled away.

Tea blinked as she watched him pick up a dark blue shirt that was strung over a chair and don it. He didn't look back at her as he headed for the door but once he reached it he halted.

Slowly he turned back to watch her and she flushed, for his hair was still gloriously tussled and undeniably sexy. She jolted at her thoughts but before she could become more horrified at herself he drew her attention back to himself.

"Stay here, I'll find something for your ribs. Watch TV if you want but _don't _touch anything, understand?" His words were hard and bitter and she opened her mouth to give him a haughty retort but before she could he turned and left.

As the door shut behind him she stared at it before and stuck her tongue out. Her eyes went to the huge flat screen located on the opposite wall. Looking around she spied the remote and picked it up but as she held it in her hands her eyes widened in dismay.

There must have been at least thirty buttons on the stupid thing...

She groaned and pressed what looked like the POWER button. The TV clicked on and she gave a sigh of relief.

Point one for Tea...

She hastily flipped to the first news channel she thought of...

And what she saw horrified her...

VVVV

Kaiba impatiently waited for the toast to finish cooking. The tea was almost done and the eggs sat on a steaming plate behind him. He glanced at it and his eyes narrowed in anger.

Bringing breakfast to a girl...

How undermining...

It made him gnash his teeth and want to throw something but he resisted the urge to. He clamped down on the emotion and locked it away behind a wall of ice which was his heart.

Or at least he thought it was...

He dismissed the thought with a derisive snort. He wasn't naïve, he knew that he was a teenage boy and it was only natural but he'd overcome those urges long ago.

Mastering and conquering them like he had everything else in his life...

Besides he had more pressing concerns to deal with than what a regular teenage boy did. He ran his own company and looked after his little brother and that required all the attention he had.

He had time for nothing else...

Just then the toast popped. Plucking it out of the toaster he slathered it in butter and jam, placing them on the tray. The tea was done and reaching into the cupboards of the spacey, elegant kitchen he brought out herbs that would naturally dull the pain.

He looked at the leaves between his fingers...

Images flashed before his eyes...

He was laying in a soft bed, barely able to move as Mokuba cried over him, begging him not to leave him alone in the world and Kaiba had grasped his hand. He remembered his fingers had been so weak that he had barely been able to move them but Mokuba had grasped them so tightly, his grip saying more than words ever could have.

Kaiba shook his head, dispelling the memory and dropped the leaves into the tea. Picking up the tray he left the kitchen and headed up stairs towards his room. As he neared it he heard the TV blasting and rolled his eyes.

He'd have to tell Gardner to get hearing aides...

As he pushed open the door, his mouth open to lecture her, he halted. Her face was pale, her eyes red as tears streaked down her cheeks. He frowned and looked at the TV.

Isaac Stone was holding another press conference...

Only this one showed the number of deaths that had happened because of riots and family members trying to rescue their children. The broadcast switched to a weeping woman as she held a picture of her son. He was young, no older than ten but Kaiba could have been wrong. He was smiling at the photographer as he held an ice cream cone. It covered his face but despite it he looked innocent and carefree.

He'd been one of the deaths...

"Tea?" Kaiba said softly as he crossed the room, setting the tray down beside the bed. She didn't tear her eyes away from the TV. Her whole body was shuddering and gently Kaiba reached out and took the remote from her. He shut the TV off and they were plunged into silence.

Then softly...

Tea began...

"That was the little boy who'd told me to run," she whispered. Her words were hoarse and quivered with such emotion that it clogged Kaiba's throat at the raw agony that was in her words. Tears streaked down her cheeks and a sob left her lips. "Oh god, if only I'd stayed!" She buried her head into her hands and sobbed brokenly. "If I...If I..." she choked out as she cried brokenly.

Kaiba instinctively moved forward and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against him. She buried her face into his chest as her fingers clutched his shirt tightly.

"If only I'd stayed!" She sobbed and Kaiba shook his head.

"No, Tea, if you would have stayed it could have been you," he whispered into her hair. She shook her head, sobs still leaving her lips.

"I'm such a coward! He told me to run and I did! I didn't do anything to help him, or Yugi or Tristan or Joey, I just left them there!" Her body shuddered violently as she cried and Kaiba gently rocked them back and forth. He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair, gently stroking her back up and down as he rocked them.

"There was nothing you could do, you did the right thing, Tea," he murmured and she sobbed again.

"How do you know?" She whispered brokenly and the corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile.

"If you would have stayed there you would have been caught and likely imprisoned and no one would really know what was going on. That little boy knew that and that's why he wanted you to run," he edged her back slowly and reaching up wiped her tears away with his thumb. "You did the right thing," he whispered and she looked up at him through tear filled eyes.

"He died Kaiba, he _died._" Tea whispered and he nodded, enveloping her in his arms once more. He continued to rock them back and forth, soothing her with his hands and voice like he'd done to Mokuba when he was sick or upset.

"I know, Tea, I know, but it wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault," he repeated and she wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tightly as she buried her face into his chest.

VVVV

She liked having his arms around her...

She felt so safe...

As if no one or nothing could reach her as long as she was in his arms. Slowly her sobs quieted and her tears stopped. Kaiba ran his fingers through her hair and she hummed softly. His hand was sliding up and down her back, causing her mind to go fuzzy.

She didn't want him to stop...

She sighed his name and nestled in closer, curling up against him. She heard his heart thump hard against his chest once, twice, three times.

She loved how strong it was...

"Are you feeling better?" He asked softly above her and she nodded.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she mumbled and was prepared to have him move but he didn't.

Her heart jumped to life...

"Tea," his voice was hesitant and she was so warm and relaxed that she only looked up at him. His face looked much more handsome from her point of view. She could see his strong jaw line and the hint of his firm, sensual mouth and she liked it.

Until he turned his fierce blue eyes upon her...

She stopped breathing...

They stared at one another for a long moment and Tea became instantly aware of how intimately pressed against him she was, and in _his _shirt no less. She couldn't swallow, she couldn't move, she couldn't even _blink._ He reached up, his palm touching her cheek as his fingers traced the trails of her tears, his eyes following it.

Her lips parted in a breathless gasp...

His eyes found hers...

She stopped breathing altogether...

He leaned in closer to her...

Her eyes drifted close...

Then the doorbell rang...

Kaiba jumped and swore underneath his breath. He stood, moving away from her and leveled an icy glare over his shoulder.

"I made you some breakfast, though I suspect its cold by now, but at least drink the tea." Kaiba said as he turned and strode to the door, "I'll be back." With that he left and Tea stared after him.

What had they'd been about to do?

They couldn't have been about to kiss...

Could they?

Her eyes turned and fell upon the breakfast tray. It was simple but charming nonetheless and Tea felt a smile curving her lips.

Seto Kaiba, head of Kaiba Corporations had made her breakfast...

Before she knew it was splayed out on the bed laughing despite the pain in her ribs...

Her heart filling with unexplainable joy...

VVVV

Kaiba flew down the stairs, cursing his dumb luck when the door opened. Mokuba stood there, a wide grin on his face when he saw his brother.

"Good morning, big brother! Sorry that I rang the doorbell, but I forgot the code but then remembered where you keep the extra key!" He called excitedly and Kaiba halted, a frown playing about his features.

"I thought you weren't supposed to be home till later, Mokuba," his stern words didn't seem to affect the little ball of energy as it bounded up the stairs to him.

"I know, but I woke up early and I felt bad about our fight," his happy face became heavier, "I know it's hard for you to trust people, big brother and I guess I wasn't being very understanding." He murmured but Kaiba shook his head. Kneeling down he placed his hand over Mokuba's shoulder and squeezed it.

"No, I was the one in the wrong. I shouldn't have been so surly despite what's happened. Forgive me?" He asked and Mokuba grinned.

"Yeah," he laughed and wrapped his arms around his brother's neck. Kaiba squeezed him about his waist and lifted him up off of his feet. "Brother!" Mokuba cried in his ear and Kaiba winced but didn't care.

After he'd twirled them around a time or two he set him down and patted Mokuba's head, smiling proudly down at him.

"Hey did you hear about that new tournament?" Mokuba asked and Kaiba nodded, his face growing stern.

"I did," his eyes narrowed in a warning, "I was right not to let you enter." Mokuba nodded at his words, his eyes looking sheepishly away.

"Yeah, I guess you were, but what are they gonna do about all those duelists?" Mokuba asked and Kaiba shrugged.

"Hopefully Stone will figure out a way to reverse the program so that the duelists will be able to leave that virtual world." Kaiba turned to head down the stairs. "Are you hungry, Mokuba?" Kaiba asked but his younger brother wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead he was bounding up the steps. "Mokuba?" Kaiba called after him but Mokuba only looked over his shoulder at him.

"I just want to get my new deck! I think I left it in your room the other night." Kaiba's eyes widened at his words and turning he sprinted up the stairs after his brother and down the halls.

"Mokuba wait!" Kaiba called but it was too late and just before Kaiba could reach him he pushed open the door to his bedroom. Mokuba halted at the threshold, causing Kaiba to nearly bowl him over. Coming to an abrupt halt he opened his mouth to explain but before he could a suddenly happy and excited brunette cut him off.

"Mokuba!" Tea shouted happily as she grinned at him from her place on the bed. Mokuba returned it and bounded into the room.

"Hey, Tea," he replied cheerfully as he jumped up onto the bed, "What are you doing here?" He asked but his eyes widened as he saw the bruises on her legs and arms, "What happened, are you alright?" He asked as his eyes lit up with concern. Tea waved it away with a casual flick of her wrist.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to your brother," Tea said as she hesitantly looked over towards him. Kaiba glowered at her a moment, remembering the moment they'd shared all too well, before entering the room. He halted beside the bed and was surprised but amused to see her cheeks flush slightly.

"But what happened?" Mokuba asked and Tea sighed.

"I was being chased and fell down but I was able to come here before I was caught," Tea replied and Mokuba frowned.

"Who was chasing you?" Mokuba asked and Tea looked up at Kaiba. He sighed and touched Mokuba's shoulder.

"Mokuba—"

"No, Seto, I bet it was that creepy Stone guy, right?" Mokuba asked as he flashed a determined look at his momentarily surprised brother.

"Yes," Tea answered as she leaned towards him, ignoring the pain, "how did you know?" Tea asked and Mokuba looked back at her.

"There was a kid I knew in school, his name was John and well we were arguing outside my friend's house and before I knew it these guys in suits came to pick him up. He didn't want to go and threatened to tell everyone about what was happening with the new dueling game, what it was really about but before he could they had him in a car and since I was there and had heard everything they tried to get me, but I did what Seto told me to do," he looked over his shoulder and beamed at his older brother, "and got away. I think they're secretly rounding up all the people that know what's going on there." His last words were whispered slightly as his eyes came back to Tea and she saw a slight twinge of fear enter his eyes. "Did they try and get you too?" He asked and she slowly nodded.

"Yeah, they did." She looked back up at Kaiba who was watching his younger brother intently.

"Did he say anything about what they were planning?" Kaiba asked but Mokuba shook his head.

"No, just that it wasn't very nice," Mokuba gave a helpless shrug of his shoulders, "they got really angry with him." Kaiba nodded and looked away.

"So are we going to help them, big brother?" Mokuba asked excitedly and Tea's heart leapt in her chest, for he hadn't give her a real answer yet either. Kaiba looked at them a moment, his face unreadable.

Silence...

Then he sighed...

"I guess were allies then," he whispered and Tea laughed happily. Kaiba only glowered at her as Mokuba laughed as well.

"We're going on another adventure!" Mokuba cheered and Kaiba's mouth lifted slightly into a hint of a smile.

His eyes found Tea's...

"Yes, Mokuba," he whispered, his fierce eyes smoldering, "we are."

Tea swallowed...

What on earth had she just agreed to?

But by that look on Kaiba's face...

She was going to find out...

VVVV

AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry it took so long to post! School has started and it's been busy but hopefully I'll be able to post soon! Thanks to all the reviews and followers so far! Please continue to do so!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**"A Meeting With the Enemy"**

Kaiba scowled at the computer screen...

He'd never been so frustrated in all his life...

He could hear Tea's laughter echoing off of the walls and soon after Mokuba's followed. He tore his fierce blue eyes from the screen and glared at the closed door, imagining that he was instead glaring holes into the diabolical duo instead.

It'd only been a day and she was already driving him crazy...

He sighed and saving his work switched the computer off. Standing he moved around the large desk and towards the windows. He crossed his arms over his chest, the black turtle neck he wore hugging every muscle and fixed his eyes upon the outer gardens.

The hedges were in need of a trim...

He'd have to remind that blasted gardener of his and if he didn't understand the meaning of _square _hedges then he'd find another that did. The dark blue jeans hugged his legs as he turned about the room, dressed in only simple gray wool socks to head for the door. He opened it and stepped out into the hall, resisting the urge to roll his eyes when he heard another riot of laughter.

What on Earth could possibly be so funny?

Especially when there was _real _work to be done...

He scowled to himself and descended the halls, his destination the living room but as he passed the kitchens he halted at the scene inside.

Tea stood at one of the counters, her face covered in flower with her hair pulled up. The apron she wore was covered in dough but her blue eyes were laughing as she flicked flour onto Mokuba's nose. The little boy laughed but popped an uncooked chocolate chip into his mouth as he stirred what appeared to be cookie dough.

"What's going on?" Kaiba asked as he stepped into the kitchen. Tea jumped, wincing as she jostled her sore ribs but before she could reply Mokuba did.

"We're baking chocolate chip cookies!" He cried and Kaiba saw Tea scowl but her cheeks flushed.

"Oh?" Kaiba inquired as he looked about the kitchen.

It looked like a small tsunami had gone through...

"I expect you to clean up," he growled and Mokuba stuck his lip out in his usual pout.

"Don't worry we will," Tea replied almost tersely as she went back to stirring.

Kaiba was slightly perplexed by her behavior...

He'd taken time to help her, only because Mokuba had asked him he reminded himself, and had even allowed her to stay here because her parents were away and this was how she was thanking him.

He gave a derisive snort and stepped up behind her, peering down over her shoulder and ignoring the line of creamy flesh that was exposed to him from his point of view. Tea straightened, her chin coming up and his eyes lingered on the curve of her neck a moment.

He wondered what it'd taste like...

He blinked, instantly knocking himself out of his little fantasy and narrowed his eyes.

"Can you even cook?" He asked and she tossed a glare over her shoulder at his mocking tone.

"Yes," she turned back around and moved along the counter away from him, "besides there's a recipe," she mumbled underneath her breath and Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest, leaning a hip against the counter.

"So you don't know how to cook?" He mocked and she flashed him another glare as her cheeks heated from embarrassment.

"No, but I thought I'd try." She turned away from him and added in more ingredients.

"Just don't blow the house up," Kaiba said as he pushed himself off of the counter. He turned to Mokuba and smiled slightly at him. "Make sure that Gardner doesn't do anything too drastic, will you?" He asked and didn't miss the deadly glare Tea gave him.

"Alright, Seto, but—"

"No offense to you, Mokuba, but I don't need a babysitter." Tea growled, interrupting Mokuba and Kaiba arched a brow at her.

"Oh?" His tone implied otherwise and Tea began to stir more vigorously.

"No, I'm not a child." She retorted and Kaiba ran his eyes over her. She was dressed in loose blue shorts and a simple white t-shirt. Her legs and feet were bare and his eyes couldn't help but linger over the bruises that marked her creamy flesh.

"You act like one," Kaiba replied as he walked past her and Tea inhaled a sharp breath and scooped up a handful of flour.

"I'll show you acting like a child!" She cried and before Kaiba could react she'd thrown the flour on him. His eyes went wide in surprise as flour covered him and Tea stared at him, momentarily shocked at her behavior but Mokuba's laughter filled the kitchen.

"What did you do that for?" Kaiba demanded as he wiped it from his face and Tea's eyes widened even more as he saw her lips twitch.

She was laughing at him!

Embarrassment washed over him and before he thought about it he'd scooped up some as well. Tea gasped in surprise and took a step back.

"Kaiba don't you—"

She was interrupted when he smeared her face with the flour...

She blinked and coughed, a cloud of white puffing up and Kaiba smirked. She stared at him a moment, stunned and Kaiba chuckled.

Then she narrowed her eyes and her lips lifted into a smirk of her own...

"Oh it's on now!" She cried and taking up another handful, chucked it at him. He yelped in surprise and managed to miss most of it. As it sailed past him it landed on Mokuba who blinked, sputtering as flour filled his nose and Tea gasped in surprise.

"Oh Mokuba I'm so sorry!" Tea said as she stepped forward but Mokuba grinned and soon scooped up his own handful.

"Flour fight!" He shouted and chucked some at her. Tea yelped as it covered her face but she laughed and picking up some, smeared Mokuba's hair with it. He shrieked with laughter and jumped away, tossing some at Kaiba. Kaiba reared back but couldn't avoid it.

It smacked him on the chest and he snorted, turning to defend himself but Tea laughed and wiped her fingers over his face. He blinked and grinned, seizing her by the waist and scooping up his own handful, smeared it over her own. She shrieked with laughter and looked up at him, her blue eyes flashing with joy as he held her in his arms.

She was so soft...

He froze...

She looked up at him, her lips spread wide in laughter as she wiped at her eyes, pushing a stray hair behind her ear. Kaiba's eyes followed it and before he realized what he was doing he reached up, his fingers gently stealing along the loose strand.

He felt her freeze...

Felt her heart beat faster against his...

His fingers tucked the loose strand behind her ear, trailing her cheek and Tea blinked at him. He stiffened, momentarily shocked by his behavior and stepped away. He cleared his throat and looked around at the kitchen, then at himself and their appearances. He was covered in flour and he grunted while brushing it from his hair.

"Great," he murmured and narrowed his eyes at them, anger suddenly washing over him. "Why are you even making these?" He snapped and Tea stiffened, her cheeks flushing as she looked away.

"Don't be so mean, Seto!" Mokuba shouted while stepping between them and wiping at his eyes. "I told her they were your favorite!" He coughed and flour puffed off of his face.

Kaiba blinked...

His eyes found Tea's but she quickly looked away and Kaiba stiffened as she fidgeted with the bowl of batter.

"I just wanted to make you something because you were working so hard," she murmured and Kaiba felt something tighten around his heart.

Guilt...

He narrowed his eyes and clamped his jaw as he glared at Tea's back. He _never _felt guilt and _defiantly _not towards her or anyone else for that matter. He turned and headed for the threshold of the kitchen, halting to glare back over his shoulder at her. She was watching him with wide eyes and he saw the confusion in them. He clamped his jaw, hating the emotions that filled him.

"You're irrelevant," he growled and stormed away.

VVVV

Tea stared after him, his words ringing in her ears and she blinked. Mokuba sighed and dusted flour from his hair.

"I'm sorry about Seto, he's not used to people being so nice to him." Mokuba apologized and Tea narrowed her eyes, clamping her jaw against the surprised hurt that washed over her.

"He doesn't need you to make excuses for him, Mokuba," Tea replied as she went back to mixing the cookies. Mokuba shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.

"It's just that Seto never has anyone besides me do anything special for him, I'm just sure that he was surprised and when Seto is surprised he usually doesn't take it well." Mokuba stepped up beside her, adding in the chocolate chips and Tea eyed him.

"But if he would open up and not be afraid to let people in things would be different. He wouldn't be such a stickler sometimes," Tea grumbled underneath her breath and was surprised when Mokuba grinned.

"Yeah, I know Seto is strict, but that's just how he shows that he cares." He finished adding in the chocolate chips and looked over his shoulder when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" He cried and leapt off of the small stool. He raced out of the kitchen, flour trailing him and Tea couldn't help but smile. She turned back to the cookies, her mind wandering.

Why couldn't Kaiba be more like Mokuba?

Tea sighed as she measured out the places on the cookie sheet. Thinking like that wasn't going to get her anywhere, especially with Kaiba's attitude. She opened the oven and cautiously slid the tray inside. As she was closing it Mokuba came bounding back through the door.

"Some of my friends came over to play with me, do you mind if we go up to my room?" Mokuba asked and Tea grinned at him.

"Sure go ahead, just don't be too loud in case Kaiba is still working. We wouldn't want him to throw another fit would we?" She winked at Mokuba and Mokuba grinned.

"Okay we'll be quiet," with that he turned and bounded from the room. Tea watched him go and she wished that she had a little brother that was as cute as Mokuba. Sighing she turned back to the oven but winced when she twisted.

Stupid ribs...

She'd applied the salve like Kaiba had told her too, and it was helping, but they still hurt. Sometimes even to just breathe. She gently lowered herself down into a chair and closed her eyes, her mind drifting.

It drifted to Yugi...

She felt her eyes watering and she took in a steadying breath.

She missed them so much...

She hoped that wherever they were, whatever they were doing they were being as safe as they could be and that they weren't frightened or afraid. She hoped that whatever Kaiba was doing it was going to work.

Her eyes opened and she ran them over the destroyed counters. Her heart started to beat faster against her ribs when she remembered their flour fight. Reaching up her fingers touched the lone, stray hair that only moments before he himself had touched.

It had made her knees weak...

She jolted and shook her head, knowing that it was stupid to think of _Seto Kaiba_ that way. After all he probably wasn't interested in a whiny, klutz like herself that couldn't even cook.

His words drifted through her head...

Why did he keep saying that? Did he only say that because he himself had been told that? She sighed and rested her head in her hands. She wished that she knew more about him, but she didn't want to ask Mokuba. It seemed underhanded if she did. She just needed to have the guts to ask him herself.

But why did she want to know?

The thought stuck in her head as she watched the clock tick down. Was she just curious? Or was she intrigued because deep down she could feel his pain? She knew that he'd had a stepfather, but that they hadn't had the greatest relationship. Was that were all his anger came from?

She noticed that Mokuba never mentioned their stepfather, or even their real parents. She scowled and subconsciously rubbed tenderly at her ribs.

They were just too damn secretive...

VVVV

Kaiba was busy plugging new numbers into his computer when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in," he called and the door edged open to reveal Tea. His eyes flicked away from the computer screen to stare at her and he saw her cheeks flush slightly at his gaze but he quickly looked away.

"What do you want?" The harsh question was out of his mouth before he could react and he inwardly winced.

"I came to tell you that it's lunchtime and that Mokuba has guests," Tea's words were just as harsh as Kaiba's and remorse filled him. He raised his eyes, opening his mouth to reply but before he could she'd slammed the door, her loud and angry footsteps receding down the hallway.

He narrowed his eyes at the closed door and told himself that it wasn't his fault. She should have known better than to interrupt him when he was working. _Especially_ since it was for her and her friends. He gnashed his teeth and forced himself to concentrate.

He'd been so busy with redesigning the new pod that he'd fallen behind on the company. Ignoring how his stomach rumbled with hunger his fingers flew over the keyboard as he plugged in the needed information.

Working came as second nature to him as it had always done. Most would find it overwhelming but Kaiba didn't, he liked the challenges that they presented to him and liked it even more when he conquered them. The phone rang and instinctively he reached over and pressed the button.

"Seto Kaiba speaking," his tone was firm and full of authority, as it always was when he used the office phone.

"Sir, we have a situation at the company." The voice belonged to his secretary and Kaiba resisted the urge to give an irritated sigh.

"What kind of situation," it wasn't a question and though she'd only been there perhaps a month she knew his tone and quickly responded.

"Mr. Akashi would like to discuss the new product and his investment." At the mention of the old, prying man's name Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"I am occupied at the moment, tell him I'll reschedule." He reached over to end the call but his secretary's voice halted him.

"He says that unless a proper settlement can be agreed upon then he'll take his investment to Stone Incorporations." Kaiba slowly fastened his eyes on the phone and then behind him towards the outline of the city where in the distance Kaiba Corporations stood proudly against the skyline.

"I'll be there shortly," he stood and his fingers went to the collar of the turtle neck.

"Understood, sir, I shall have a car ready for your departure." With that the call was ended. He quickly shed the sweater and his jeans, shaking his hair to rid it of any extra flour, and crossed to the small closet that held his business suits. He drew out a light blue silk shirt and donned it, his long fingers easily doing up the buttons. He reached farther into the closet and drew out a pair of white trousers and a black belt. Picking up the white suit jacket that went with the white pants he was soon dressed. Tying up the laces to his dress shoes he stood and smoothed his hair away from his eyes. Picking up his briefcase he turned and left his office.

As he opened the door three heads went streaking past him and he jumped, drawing back and glared after them. Among the heads he saw Mokuba grin back at him, waving his hand and Kaiba couldn't help the slight smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

Shaking his head he turned and headed down the hallway, his free hand in the pocket of his trousers while the other grasped the briefcase. As he descended the large marble stairs he idly glanced at the kitchen and his eyes halted at the figure that stood at the sink.

She was now wearing an apron, her short hair piled atop her head and was laughing at something one of the maids had said. He watched, silently and suddenly mesmerized by her. He'd had older, more sophisticated women try and catch his eye, would purposefully wear revealing dresses to make his blood boil and heat but he merely dismissed them.

But this one...

He turned and headed out the door, ignoring the unpleasant sensation in his chest as he walked towards the waiting sleek car. The door was opened for him and he climbed inside. As the driver pulled away his eyes drifted back towards his home.

Odd...

VVVV

Tea heard the door and glanced towards it, but before she could ponder over it one of the maids, her name Amelia, asked her a question that nearly had Tea dropping the glass plate she held between fingers.

"Are you the Master's girlfriend?" Amelia asked, her large green eyes filled with curiosity and Tea blinked, her cheeks flaming.

"Wh-What?" She squeaked and Amelia smiled. She only looked to be a year older than Tea with a long, well built body and blonde hair that was curled back into a fetching ponytail.

"Amelia!" Cried Gretchen, an elderly woman with iron gray hair and eyes the same color. Amelia shrugged one shoulder, tossing a loose curl off of her face.

"What? I'm curious," she leaned closer to Tea and Tea felt her cheeks grow more heated, "So are you?" Her tone was polite and sweet, but Tea felt something crawl up her spine.

She didn't think that she was _just _curious...

"No!" Tea snapped and turned, clamping hard on her jaw to keep more frenzied retorts from leaving her mouth.

"Oh?" Amelia sighed and turned back to washing the dishes, a small smile across her glossy pink lips. "That's too bad." Tea thought that her words didn't sound all that disappointed.

Could it be?

"Do you like Kaiba?" Tea asked and the girl jumped, hastily looking over her shoulder to glare at Tea.

"_That _is none of your business," with that she wiped her hands on her apron and strode from the room. Tea watched her go, puzzled until Gretchen sighed.

"Don't mind her, Tea," Gretchen finished drying one of the pans.

"I won't," Tea took the pan she'd just finished drying and put it away in one of the cabinets. As she straightened she winced as her ribs ached. Gretchen noticed it and shook her head disapprovingly.

"You shouldn't be moving around so much, why don't you go rest for awhile?" Gretchen offered but Tea shook her head.

"No, I'm fine I just—" she yelped, drawing in a sharp intake of breath as she turned and pressed a hand to her hip. Gretchen gently touched her arm.

"Go on, I'll finish up, you've had a long day and need some rest." Tea frowned at the woman's kind words but slowly nodded, a defeated sigh leaving her lips.

"Alright, I'll go but thank you for cleaning the kitchen," she squeezed the woman's arm and she nodded, ushering her from the spacious kitchen.

Tea slowly made her way to the elaborate living room and lowered down onto a soft couch. She closed her eyes and stretched her body cautiously, a slight groan leaving her lips as she moved her sore muscles. Finally when she was comfortable she opened her eyes and looked up towards the ceiling.

The mansion was surprisingly quiet, but it wasn't a cold, eerie quiet. It was peaceful, relaxing, as if the mansion was finally a home. She could still smell the cookies she'd worked so hard to bake and a her chest swelled slightly in pride.

Mokuba and his friends had tried some of them and she was estactic to find that they loved them. Now only if Kaiba would like them.

The thought made her pause...

Did she really want him to like them?

She grunted and closed her eyes, focusing herself to think of anything other than the aggravating and irritating multi-billionaire high school boy that she was staying with. Laughter of Mokuba and his friends reached her ears and she smiled, but all too soon she thought of her own friends and the smile faded.

She felt the tears start behind her eyes and she reached up, wiping them away before they could fall and forced herself to take a calming breath.

She'd help them...

Soon...

VVVV

Kaiba strode down the marble, elaborate halls of Kaiba Corporations, his secretary following quickly after him in her high heels. Even though she was his senior by at least eight years and was a tall woman, he matched her with height and knew by the stares of his employees that he didn't look like a high school boy.

Well...

He wasn't...

He'd become an adult long ago...

The man who waited for him at the end of the hall was short, but thin, his black hair long ago turned gray with a line of hair above his upper lip. He was dressed in a well tailored black suit with a red tie and fashionable glasses. He was eagerly talking with another man, and this one Kaiba instantly recognized.

His eyes narrowed...

Isaac Stone stood before him...

He was tall, well built and dressed in a sleek gray suit with a startling white tie. His aura was cold and business-like and Kaiba raised his chin, setting his shoulders as his own wall came down.

Kaiba knew the look that graced the older man's face, he was not listening to the elderly business man before him. He simply stood there as the man talked idly on but as Kaiba approached them he turned. His icy blue eyes met Kaiba's own cold glare and for the first time in a long time, Kaiba knew that this man was just as deadly as he was.

Just as ruthless...

If not more...

"Ah," Stone's voice was low, well cultured and emotionless, "Seto Kaiba," his bleached blonde head dipped in a formal bow as he placed his hand his over heart. "Your reputation precedes you," Stone stood and Kaiba wasn't alarmed to find that he was just as tall as he.

"Mr. Stone," Kaiba's voice was just as deadly, just as sinisterly polite as Stone's, "A pleasure, I'm sure." His fierce eyes fixed upon the old man beside them. He paled considerably to the tall, quietly menacingly men beside him and by the look on his face he knew that as well. "Mr. Akashi," Kaiba kept his eyes on the old man's, "my secretary informs me that we have a problem you would like resolved?" Though his words were polite his eyes showed his cold, ruthless anger and Mr. Akashi shook his head.

"Yes, I would like to discuss my investment into the new technology you are making." Kaiba nodded his head.

"Of course, gentlemen if you would so kindly follow me into my office." He stepped between them, not waiting for their answer and one of the security officers pulled open the door for him that led into his wide office. Large windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling ran along the floor, showing him the breathtaking skyline and he heard the men following after him. The door was closed and Kaiba crossed to his large, sleek desk and placed his briefcase atop it. He lowered his frame into the large chair and crossed one leg of the other, his arms resting easily on the armrests.

"Please, have a seat," he gestured his head to the chairs opposite him and Stone ran his eyes over the office.

"You have quite the view, Mr. Kaiba," Stone commented and Kaiba dipped his head as Akashi lowered his small frame into the comfortable chair.

"Thank you, I've worked hard for it." Kaiba kept his eyes on Stone and Stone's cold gaze came back to his.

"I'm sure," he murmured and silence filled the room.

Akashi cleared his throat, suddenly feeling as if he were between two cunning wolves and shifted in his seat.

"May we discuss my investment now?" He asked and Kaiba's eyes came back to his.

"Certainly, but would you prefer to discuss it privately?" His eyes went back to Stone but Akashi shook his head.

"No, I want Stone to hear your conditions," Akashi glanced nervously back towards the cold man behind him as he crossed the room. Stone lowered his long frame gracefully into the chair beside him and fixed his penetrating eyes on Kaiba.

He was unaffected...

In fact he smiled...

"I sense that you wish your possible new investment company to know the terms of your current investment company so that the new company will offer you better terms, am I correct?" Kaiba kept his gaze level as he looked squarely at Akashi. The older man shifted uncomfortably once more and Stone's lips lifted in what appeared to be a grin.

"Very knowledgeable of you, Mr. Kaiba," Stone commented and Kaiba returned what was to be a grin but both knew that it was not.

It was far from it...

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Stone, but despite your presence, I am afraid I will be blunt." His words made the man's lips spread wider.

"By all means," he dipped his head and Kaiba returned his level gaze back to Akashi.

"I will not reconsider your terms of investment, Mr. Akashi. The principles I have offered you are fair and you will find no other willing to work with you if you so chose to participate in investing in Stone Corporations. Despite their rising reputation, the recent incident will hinder them greatly, if not put them out of business. You will lose money on this matter, not gain it. If you so chose to keep investing in my project I will accept and not deduct your current terms, but I will not discuss further cliental information while Mr. Stone is present." His words were firm and swift, slicing through the air and rendering Akashi momentarily speechless. Stone eyed the young man opposite him and grudgingly admired him for the coolness and utter confidence he portrayed.

"Ah, Mr. Stone?" Akashi offered and Stone smiled, his eyes never leaving Kaiba.

"What Mr. Kaiba says is true. This latest incident will set my company back, but I assure you," his eyes returned to Akashi, "that we will pull through and become the biggest electronics company worldwide." His eyes came back to Kaiba's, "Of that," his eyes turned utterly cold, "I have no doubt."

Kaiba's fingers slowly curled around the armrests and a dark grin touched his lips.

"You sound quite confident, Mr. Stone." He ran his eyes over the man, calculating the information he found, "May I ask," he leaned slightly forward in the chair, "why that would be?" His words were followed by a long silence before Mr. Stone let a slow grin touch his lips.

"Call it a business man's intuition. Now," he rose from the chair, "if you both will excuse me, I have _certain _matters to attend to." He dipped his head respectfully to Kaiba and Akashi before turning and leaving the room. Kaiba watched him go, accessing his words in his head before he returned his eyes to Akashi.

The old man had paled considerably and Kaiba knew that he didn't have the patience to deal with him at the moment.

"You look pale, Mr. Akashi," Kaiba offered as he reached for the phone, his tone visibly dismissive, "Perhaps you should return to your home and rest? I'm sure Mrs. Akashi will be pleased to have her husband home so early," he didn't spare the man a glance as he stood, his small frame slightly shaking at the restrained tension that had filled the room only moments before.

"Yes, I think I shall. Thank you for your time, Mr. Kaiba and," he nervously wrung his hands together in front of him, "I would greatly like to discuss our business terms again." At his words Kaiba halted, raising his fierce eyes. They glittered as he stared coldly at the elderly man before him.

"We have nothing more to discuss, Mr. Akashi," with that he plugged in the phone number and nodded his head towards the door, "Now you can kindly leave my office or I'll have security personally escort you out." He swiveled around and waited as the phone dialed, his eyes overlooking the skyline before him. He heard Mr. Akashi leave and as the phone line was answered he instinctively slipped into his work once more.

VVVV

Tea was in the kitchen when she heard the door. Curious, for it was perhaps nearly midnight, she stepped out and her eyes widened when she saw Kaiba standing there. He was dressed in his white business suit, but his jacket was tossed over his shoulder. His head was bowed, his hair tussled as he sighed. He set his briefcase down with a thud and he straightened, running a visibly tired hand through his dark hair.

"Kaiba?" Tea called as she stepped out into the hallway light and Kaiba started, cursing underneath his breath as he turned and glared at her.

"I should put a bell around your neck," he growled and Tea couldn't help but narrow her eyes at him as anger engulfed her. Biting down on her lip she quietly crossed over to him.

"Where have you been? I searched the entire mansion for you until Mokuba told me you went out." She ran her eyes over him, noting how suddenly tired and old his face looked.

"Where do you think?" Kaiba retorted but he paused, lifting a brow at her as he ran his eyes over her appearance. She'd taken her hair out of the bun, letting it fall loose around her shoulders and she must have changed into a simple tank top with shorts while he was gone. Her feet were bare and he noticed that the bruises didn't appear near as painful in the dim light. Then her last words registered in his brain. "You were looking for me?" He asked and despite the dim light he saw her cheeks flush slightly.

"It was only to tell you that it was dinner," she looked swiftly away, "Speaking of which if you want, I can reheat you some, it looks like you haven't ate all day." She turned and headed back towards the kitchen. "It's not healthy if you do that." She called over her shoulder and he shook his head, wondering why he followed after her.

Tea went to the large fridge and started pulling out ingredients and throwing them into a pan. Kaiba crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching her move about the kitchen.

"Did you get called in?" Tea asked as she set the pan on one of the burners. She turned it on and started to stir them together.

"Yes," Kaiba answered and felt his stomach tighten as the aroma of the food reached his nostrils, "there was a problem with one of the investments. I handled it." He tilted his head while looking at what she'd thrown in the pan. "What are you cooking?" He asked and she gave him a cheeky smile.

"They're strips of meat that you cook over rice so that the rice holds the flavors of the meat naturally. It's good, you'll like it." He frowned but was distracted when Tea reached up and brushed the hair away from her neck. The moonlight flickered into the kitchen, playing over her skin and this time it wasn't only his stomach that tightened with hunger.

Surprised at his sudden reaction he blinked and clamped his jaw...

Tea watched him from over her shoulder and turned slightly so that she could see him better. His face was pinched slightly and she had the sinking suspicion that he wasn't telling her everything.

"Is that all? You don't seem like yourself," she offered and Kaiba raised a brow at her.

"Have you been observing me, Gardner?" Kaiba asked as he pushed himself off of the wall and walked closer to her. She felt her body suddenly tighten and she straightened.

"No, not really it's just that—" she nearly stopped breathing when he halted in front of her. He'd loosened the tie around his neck, unbuttoning the first few buttons on his light blue shirt to reveal his tan chest underneath. Images of being intimately pressed against it flashed before her eyes and her legs grew suddenly weak.

"Well," he prompted softly, his fierce eyes daring her, "have you?" He asked and she swallowed.

"The food's going to burn," Tea responded and turned around, desperately wishing that he'd step away. She could _feel _him breathing evenly behind her before he slowly stepped back and she gave a relieved sigh. Scooping the food into a bowl she turned and gestured to the small table in the large, spacious kitchen. "Here, sit." She sat the bowl down and Kaiba eyed it, then her and she rolled her eyes at his cautious gaze. "Oh relax, I didn't poison it or anything," she responded and Kaiba snorted while lowering himself into a chair.

"You never know with you, Gardner," Kaiba replied but she was surprised at how pleased she was when he smoothly ate a spoonful of the rice and meat.

"Isn't that a good thing?" She answered with a grin and Kaiba looked at her, chewing silently and she saw his eyes widen slightly. She leaned forward anxiously. "What? Is it bad?" She asked and he slowly shook his head.

"No, it's actually quite good," he ate another spoonful and she saw his eyes shine with something that she couldn't place, but it made her stomach jump.

"Here, you never did eat a cookie, though Mokuba and his friends did a number on them," she turned and picked up the tray of chocolate chip cookies and offered it to him. He eyed it before taking one. He bit into it and his eyes widened once more. He swallowed and shook his head, looking up at her.

"If you never make it as a dancer, you could always try being a cook." Kaiba said and though Tea heard the compliment she also heard the first part.

"If I never make it as a dancer?" Tea asked, her voice hard and Kaiba frowned. "What do you mean by that? Do you think that I can't?" Tea snorted in anger and turned around, setting the tray of cookies down. "For your information," she turned back around to face him, "I can," she went to walk past but Kaiba stood, grabbing her arm.

"No, that's not what I meant—"

"Then what did you mean?" Tea demanded as she glared up at him and Kaiba narrowed his eyes at her.

"I was _trying _ to give you a compliment, Gardner, but I should have known better." He growled and released her. Tea blinked and glared at his back.

"And what did you mean by _that_?" She demanded hotly and he snorted while turning to look over her at his shoulder.

"That your stubborn and pig headed," he replied and went to leave the kitchen. Tea's eyes widened as she followed after him.

"Pig headed?" She seethed and gnashed her teeth. "You're one to talk!" She shouted after him and he halted and turned abruptly, catching her against his chest as his hand covered her mouth.

"Shush! Do you want to wake the entire househould!" He demanded quietly above her and all in one instant her anger faded.

He was so close...

She could feel the softness of his shirt, the hardness of his chest, the intoxicating scent of his cologne and her body suddenly grew weak. Kaiba's eyes looked down into hers and she looked up into them, unable to look away.

His hand slowly lowered, his fingers gently tracing her cheek as his palm caressed it. Her breath hitched inside her throat and she felt herself leaning into him.

Then the lights flipped on...

"Seto?" Came a sleepy voice and Kaiba jolted, yanking himself away from her. Tea tilted, desperately trying to right herself as she looked at the little figure that filled the doorway.

Mokuba rubbed his eyes with his fingers, yawning sleepily and frowned at them.

"Mokuba, what are you doing up?" Kaiba's voice sounded slightly strained and Tea felt her cheeks flush with heat but he turned away from her, crossing the kitchen to kneel in front of his brother.

"I had a nightmare and heard someone shout," he glanced from his brother to Tea. "Why is Tea's face so red? Were you being mean to her again?" Mokuba asked and Tea felt her face grow even hotter and desperately wished that some hole would swallow her up. Kaiba didn't look back at her but reached out and touched his younger brother on the shoulder.

"No I wasn't, but a nightmare, hmm?" Tea blinked when Kaiba pulled him into a hug, "What is it about him?" Kaiba asked and Mokuba nodded, burying his face into the curve of Kabia's shoulder.

"Yeah, he was yelling and hurting you again," he mumbled and Tea frowned, confused but Kaiba nodded, running his hand up and down Mokuba's back soothingly.

Tea stared...

He was being so tender...

So gentle...

It made her heart hurt...

"Don't worry, he won't hurt us anymore," Mokuba nodded at Kaiba's soft words but his arms tightened around Kaiba's neck.

"I don't want him to anymore," Mokuba murmured and Tea was alarmed to see his eyes mist over with tears. Kaiba gently touched the back of his head, pressing it tighter against his shoulder as he stood.

"I won't let that happen, Mokuba," Kaiba glanced back at Tea and as their eyes met Tea's heart flipped. "I'm going to take him to his room and put him to bed," Kaiba whispered and Tea could only nod as he strode from the room.

Tea watched him go and after a moment turned and started to clean up the small mess. As she finished she saw the discarded jacket. Instinctively she reached out and picked it up, the fabric soft underneath her fingers. She stared at it and her mind wandered back to the scene she'd just witnessed.

What had Mokuba meant by _him_?

And what had he meant about _hurting _Kaiba?

Tea frowned and throwing the jacket over her arm headed up the stairs.

VVVV

"There, feel better now?" Kaiba asked as he finished tucking him in. Mokuba nodded but he looked away in embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry Seto," he mumbled and Kaiba smiled softly while gently roughing his younger brother's hair with his fingers.

"You're not the only one who has nightmares, Mokuba," Kaiba whispered and Mokuba peeked out from underneath the blankets.

"Really?" He asked quietly and Kaiba nodded.

"Yeah, now get some sleep," Kaiba stood and Mokuba nodded while rolling over onto his side. As Kaiba opened the door to leave Mokuba's voice halted him.

"Seto?" He called and Kaiba halted.

"Yes?" He asked and Mokuba looked up at him.

"Who makes your nightmares go away?" His question made Kaiba's heart freeze. He stared at the little figure in the large bed.

Then smile...

"Get some sleep," he murmured and Mokuba nodded, knowing that by Kaiba's tone he wasn't going to answer and burried underneath the covers once more. Kaiba turned and closed the door. As he turned farther he collided with a figure and instinctively his hands shot out to steady them.

Tea looked up at him and he frowned, suddenly embarrassed and she flushed, hastily stepping away.

"I really am going to have to put a bell on you," he growled and she blinked but didn't give him a haughty retort.

"Sorry, I just wanted to give you your jacket," she reached up and offered it to him. Reaching out he took it and draped it over his shoulder.

Silence filled the hall...

Tea shifted uneasily and he saw her bite her bottom lip and the sudden urge of wanting to do that himself had him trying to move past her.

"Wait," Tea reached out and touched his arm, "I wanted to ask if Mokuba was alright," Kaiba closed his eyes and clamped his jaw. Pulling his arm from her grasp he turned to face her.

"Yes, he's sleeping now." She seemed to be relieved at his words and nodded.

"Good, I was worried," Tea smiled and looked back towards the closed door. Kaiba ran his eyes over her and saw her raise her hand to her side.

"Does it still hurt?" He asked, his eyes on her hand and Tea jumped.

"Ah, no not really," she turned her eyes back to his. "Kaiba, I wanted to ask you something." He raised his eyes to hers, knowing that even if he tried he wasn't going to be able to stop her. "What had Mokuba meant when he had a nightmare that someone was hurting you?" Kaiba didn't reply, he simply looked at her.

Images flashed before his eyes...

Pain erupted inside him...

Shaking his head he turned away. "Don't ask," he growled and went to leave but she reached out and touched his arm.

"Wait—" Kaiba yanked his arm from her grasp.

"I _said _don't ask!" He hissed and all but ran from her.

VVVV

Tea watched him go, her hand still outstretched and after a few moments she lowered it.

And was surprised at the tear that trailed her cheek...

AUTHOR NOTE: Alright chapter four! It's longer than the others to make up for me not posting! Thank you to all my dedicated followers and readers that review, even to the ones that don't! ;) Please review and tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"**Getting Started"**

Kaiba slowly opened his eyes...

It was early in the morning and despite how tired his body was his mind was far from it. He sat up, his fierce eyes going to the large windows. The sky hadn't even begun to turn a light blue.

He sighed and let his mind wander...

Perhaps he'd been too harsh with her...

He shook his head and stood, tossing the silk sheets off of him and stood only in his boxers. Crossing to his closet he pulled on a pair of simple sweatpants and shoving his hair out of his face left the room. The mansion was quiet as he walked the halls, his destination the office.

Pushing open the door he crossed the room and slid into the comfortable chair, clicking the computer on. Unanswered emails immediately flooded the screen but he ignored them and clicked on the awaiting file.

His eyes scanned the screen...

Then he went to work...

VVVV

Tea loved taking showers...

Especially in the Kaiba Mansion...

There were so many different buttons and settings that she had to try a new one every morning and right now she needed a hot shower. Letting it bathe her she sighed and raised her face to the spray, her mind wandering.

It wandered to her friends and her heart ached from loneliness. She wished that there was something that she could do but she knew that this was Kaiba's department.

Kaiba...

A tall, dark angry teenage boy flashed before her eyes and she shook her head, hating how her stomach twisted painfully at the thought of him. She shut the water off and stepped out, grabbing the towel and drying off her body, careful not to rub too harshly against her sore ribs. They were healing considerably and her bruises had all but faded. She stepped in front of the large mirror and picked up the brush. She ran it through her short hair, noting that she was going to have to get a hair cut soon and tossing her slightly than usually longer bangs out of her face she stepped out of the bathroom.

Her room was elegant with soft blues and whites with a large bed. She glanced at is as she walked by. It wasn't as big as Kaiba's, or as comfortable. She blinked at her thoughts and shook her head once more, berating herself.

What on earth was wrong with her?

She gave an irritated grunt while pulling open one of the dresser drawers. She didn't know why, and found that she didn't particularly want to think about it either, but Kaiba had sent some of his maids to her house, picking up a few of her things. Picking out a light gray sweater and black shorts she pulled them on. Leaving her feet bare she flipped her hair out of her face and exited her room.

The halls were quiet, as they always seemed to be and she made her way down to the kitchen. The maids hadn't shown up yet and Tea found that she quite liked the silence. She went to the cupboard, reaching up to pluck a box of dry cereal from the shelf when her stomach growled in protest. She halted, her eyes lingering on the box before and idea popped into her head.

She smiled...

Placing the box back in the cupboard her grin grew and she paced over to the fridge. Sticking her head in she grabbed the eggs and milk. Placing them on the counter she walked back over to the large, spacious pantry and started digging around. When she finally found it she giggled, feeling suddenly giddy and pulling out some bowls and measuring cups started.

As she blended the ingredients she started to hum, a song drifting in through her brain. Her mother always used to hum when she cooked and Tea would always start dancing. Maybe that was why she loved to dance.

It always made her feel complete...

Her humming grew louder as the notes grew inside her head. She closed her eyes, slowly moving her hips back and forth as she tilted her head, imagining herself on an empty dance floor. She tapped her foot, turning to head over to the other counter and as she did so she slid, tilting her head farther back. She halted in front of the counter, bringing her head forward as she poured the ingredients in. she grasped the whisk and plucking up the bowl she held in close to her, as if the bowl were her other dance partner and smiling to herself she closed her eyes and as she stirred...

She danced...

The melody sprang inside her, pouring throughout her body and she tilted and turned, swaying about the kitchen as her humming grew louder, matching the frenzied notes that pounded in her head. Finally when she reached the climax of her song she opened her eyes and came to a jerking stop, nearly dropping the waffle batter.

Kaiba...

He stood in the doorway, the morning light barely passing through the large windows to play over his disheveled hair and toned body. Tea's throat ran dry, her heavy breathing catching until she had to force herself to breathe. He stood only in sweatpants, his fierce eyes trained on her and she felt her legs grow weak. Her arms were shaking and she blinked, her cheeks flushing crimson and she suddenly wanted to bolt, to hide.

"What are you doing?" Tea snapped, her embarrassment causing her to be angry. Kaiba's fierce gaze seemed to clear and he straightened, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he raised a critical brow at her. "What are you making?" He asked while stepping into the kitchen. Tea took a step back, not liking how she suddenly wanted to reach out and touch his chest, his hair. She swallowed, opening her mouth to yell at him when her foot slipped.

She yelped, prepared to fall when strong hands grasped her arm and pulled her forward. She straightened, looking up into irritated blue eyes and she thanked god that the batter bowl was between herself and him.

Though it still didn't help that he was shirtless...

"Don't you own a shirt?" Tea snapped while pulling herself away from him and he blinked, staring at her.

"A thank you would have been nice," he replied and she fidgeted, quickly turning away from him to place the bowl on the counter.

"What are you doing here?" She asked again, desperately trying to have him leave and he narrowed his eyes at her, sizing her up and she straightened, raising her chin as she looked evenly back at him.

"I heard someone in the kitchen and I wanted to see, considering none of the maids sing while they cook." A small smile drifted across his lips, "Or dance for that matter," his small smile grew, "Did you enjoy your dance partner?" Kaiba asked while stepping up to look down at the bowl. Her cheeks flushed from embarrassment and she glared at him.

"He would have been better than you!" Tea shot back and Kaiba raised his brows at her.

"I assure you, Garnder," Kaiba leaned forward, causing Tea's eyes to widen slightly, "I would have been better than your bowl of waffle batter." His eyes darkened and Tea felt her stomach quiver. She stepped away, crossing her arms and forcing herself to look him in the eye, not at his chest or wonderfully toned arms.

"Prove it," she declared and silently berated herself.

Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut?!

Kaiba only smiled, gazing at her until she was thoroughly uncomfortable before he shook his head.

"Later, but since you're up I have something to show you." He tilted his head and his eyes drifted back to the batter. "Unless you would like to ask the waffle batter to dance again?" He smiled at her and Tea had been prepared to hit him, but halted at the smile that spread across his face.

It was beautiful...

"No," she managed to murmur and Kaiba nodded. He straightened and turned away from her, heading out of the kitchen.

"Then come on," he called over his shoulder and Tea quickly followed after him. They headed out of the kitchen and up the marble stairs. As they walked the hallways Tea glanced out at the breathtaking scenery that lay before them.

"It's so beautiful," Tea whispered and Kaiba nodded.

"It is," he glanced at it but returned walking and Tea followed.

"Where are we going?" Tea asked as Kaiba came to the end of the hallway. He halted in front of an imposing door and Tea realized it was to his office. He opened it and stepped inside, holding the door for her. She stepped in and looked around.

She'd peeked her head in before but now that was actually in Seto Kaiba's own _personal _office made her want to smile. It felt as if she had just crossed into a new world or had accomplished a great feat.

She smiled...

"I found it," Kaiba's voice knocked her out of her little dream as he crossed the sleek and elegant office to his imposing desk. Computer screens flashed and Tea frowned, the smile fading.

"Found what?" She asked as he halted in front of the desk and his eyes flicked up to hers, the light from the computer screens catching his high cheek bones and firm, sensual lips.

"The link," he gestured with his hand and Tea scrambled across the empty space to stand beside him, her heart accelerating inside her chest.

"You mean you found a way to get into the virtual world?" Tea asked and Kaiba nodded. Raising his hand he pointed to a set of codes. They spread across the screen in long lines and Tea blinked.

She didn't understand any of it...

"You see this will allow me to link in with Stone's own game coding, for the issue it coming within the game itself. If I can link to his game I can transport myself inside and stop it." He looked at her and she blinked, trying to process what he was saying.

"What do you mean by 'you'?" She asked, "I'm coming to," she replied and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"No you're not," his tone was firm but it only made Tea's eyes flare with anger.

"Yes, I am. They're my friends and I want to help them!" She burst out and glared at him. "All I've been doing is sitting, waiting around for something to happen and now it has and I'm not going to just let it pass me by. I'm going, whether you like it or not Seto Kaiba." Her heated words were firm and Kaiba returned her heated glare. He opened his mouth to reply when the TV flipped on. He halted, his eyes flicking to the screen as they fastened on the broad words that raced across the bottom.

"Breaking news, there's been another incident in the Stone Gaming Stadium. Fifteen year old Josh Krisling was unplugged from the game and showed signs of not breathing. He was rushed to the local hospital but was sadly declared dead ten minutes later. Isaac Stone later told the press..." the news broadcaster started rambling on and Tea stared at the screen.

"That could have been Yugi," she murmured, terrible images flashing before her eyes and she suddenly felt weak but steeled herself, "or Joey, or Justin." She turned and looked at Kaiba, "or even Mokuba, but that doesn't matter. That was a boy who had his whole life ahead of him, had a family that cared about him, loved him." She turned to look back at the TV screen. "That's why I have to help, no matter what." She murmured and felt him shift beside her.

VVVV

She was so bloody stubborn...

He saw her pained expression, saw her haunted eyes and couldn't help but want to reach out and take her in his arms like he would do to Mokuba when he was sad or frightened.

But this wasn't Mokuba...

It was Tea...

He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, effectively stopping himself from doing something stupid.

"Alright," he murmured and Tea looked at him, her once shadowed blue eyes lighting up.

"Really?" She squeaked and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you deaf now, too Gardner?" He replied but despite his irritated tone she squealed and leapt at him, her arms coming around his neck as she hugged him tightly. He blinked, surprised and had to take a step back to steady them.

"Gardner—" he tried to protest but her thrilled laugh filled his ears.

He halted...

It was so beautiful...

So musical...

It made his heart warm...

"I really thought that we were going to have to split your head open in order for me to come along," she laughed in his ear. He snorted and turned his head, thinking that he really _was _going to have to get hearing aids.

"No, perhaps not that drastic," he replied and Tea pulled back so that she could look at him. She quirked a brow at him, a slight smile playing about her lips.

"We are talking about you, Kaiba," she replied and he snorted.

"So what are you insinuating?" He asked and she grinned.

"That you're as pigheaded as a mule." She replied and tried stepping away but his own lips spread in a dark grin and he tightened his arms around her, stepping in closer to the desk and pinning her against it.

He saw her eyes widen...

Saw her cheeks flush...

"Hmm," he murmured, his eyes roaming over her creamy flesh, "I wonder who that reminds me of." His eyes darkened and he felt his body tighten.

She was so soft...

"Kaiba—" she breathed and he suddenly felt irritated at her using his last name.

"Seto," he corrected and inwardly flinched.

What on earth?

No one besides Mokuba called him that...

_No one..._

And he'd just given Tea permission...

"Wh-what?" She breathed and he straightened, fully realizing what he was doing and was about to pull back when the door to his office opened.

"Seto?" Came a sleepy voice and Kaiba's eyes snapped to the doorway. Mokuba filled it and Kaiba abruptly pulled away from Tea and the sudden urge to yell at his little brother for interrupting filled him.

He blinked...

Feeling suddenly shaken he stepped farther away from Tea and towards him. He was still in his pajamas and rubbing at his eyes.

"What is it, Mokuba?" He halted in front of him, reaching out to ruffle his hair, "Did you have another nightmare?" He asked but Mokuba shook his head.

"No, I think there's something burning in the kitchen," Mokuba replied and Kaiba heard a surprised gasp sound behind him.

"The waffles!" Tea squeaked and went streaking past. Kaiba blinked after her and Mokuba frowned in confusion.

"Waffles?" He asked but Kaiba shook his head.

"It's nothing, Gardner was making breakfast but now it looks like we'll be eating burnt waffles." He replied and Mokuba nodded while still rubbing at his eyes.

"Hey, Seto?" He asked as Kaiba turned around to walk back to his desk.

"Yes?" Kaiba replied as he started copying the needed data. Mokuba padded over to him and glanced at the screen before looking up at his older brother.

"I want to go out with friends today, it's Yuki's birthday." He looked up at Kaiba with hopeful eyes and Kaiba glanced at him.

"Why didn't I hear about this earlier?" He questioned and Mokuba shrugged a shoulder.

"He told me about it yesterday while he was here, it's over at the park." He offered and Kaiba narrowed his eyes.

"Do his parents know that you are going?" He questioned and Mokuba shrugged his shoulders once more.

"I don't know, can I go?" He asked and Kaiba straightened.

"You should have told me yesterday." His tone was firm and Mokuba glowered up at him, for he knew where this was going. "Perhaps you can invite them over tomorrow," he went to stride past but Mokuba crossed his arms.

"But I want to go today, he's one of my few friends and I don't want to let him down," he replied and Kaiba sighed.

"I said no Mokuba," he turned and looked evenly at Mokuba. Mokuba glared at him before heading out of the office. Kaiba watched him go but after a moment followed after him. He was farther down the hallway and seemed to be heading to the kitchens. Kaiba watched him go, watched the angry set of his shoulders and couldn't help but smile.

For he'd walked that way many a times before...

But always he'd been reprimanded for it...

His mind flashed back to a hard fist and stiff leather belt. Old wounds flared in pain and he inwardly shuddered and cast the thoughts aside. Turning he headed towards his bedroom. Opening the door he went to the bathroom and washed his face. As he patted it dry he looked at himself in the mirror. His skin was a light bronze but if he looked hard enough he could still make out the faint scars. Reaching up he lightly touched them, swallowing when he remembered a dark room, cold tile and blood. He closed his eyes and felt the fear tighten around his heart.

It left him shaking...

He forced himself to calm, to breathe and when he opened his eyes they were clear again. He lowered his head and stepping from the bathroom he headed for his closet. Picking up a simple dark blue button up shirt and black jeans he got dressed. Putting on his gray wool socks he left his shoes in his closet, for he didn't plan on going out today and was about to leave when there was a light, quick knock on the door.

He frowned...

It wasn't Tea...

Her knock was always somehow annoying yet cheerful at the same time. He growled when he thought that, not particularly dwelling on how he knew her knock and cleared his throat.

"Who is it." It wasn't a question and there came a faint answer from the other side.

"It's Amelia," came the answer and Kaiba frowned. He crossed to the door and opened it. It revealed a well built blonde with flashing green eyes and Kaiba inwardly sighed.

"What do you want." Again this was not a question and he saw the girl look away, obviously shy though he knew it was a ruse.

"I heard that you came home late last night, you must be tired. Is work at the company stressful for you, Master?" She batted her eyes at him and he simply looked at her. She was dressed in the typical maid uniform, though he was more modest with them than other men of high standing were. She leaned forward, having the two top buttons undone to reveal the slight swell of her breasts and she tilted her head invitingly.

"Is there anything that I could help you with, _Master?_" She purred the last word and Kaiba's eyes narrowed in disgust.

"Address me as such again, Miss Amelia, and you will find yourself unemployed." His tone was cold and harsh, splitting the air like daggers and made her blink, "Now do your job before I decide otherwise, understood?" He moved past her and she stared after him, her eyes wide.

"Y-Yes, sir." She squeaked after him as he strode away. As he descended the marble stairs towards the kitchen he heard laughter coming from inside.

It was Mokuba's and Tea's...

He halted at the threshold, his eyes taking in the scene before him. Tea must have been able to salvage some of the waffles and was busy serving them up as Mokuba readily ate them, lathering on the syrup and giggling at something she'd said. An older woman, her name escaping him at the moment was at the stove, cooking eggs and joining in on their personal joke.

It was so warm...

In all his years living here...

It actually felt like a home...

Mokuba spotted him and the laughter disappeared from his face as he glanced swiftly back to his plate. Tea noticed his behavior and followed his gaze. She halted as well when she saw him. He saw her eyes darken before she quickly looked away and headed back over to the stove.

"Ah, Master Kaiba, breakfast will be ready in a moment," the older woman called and Kaiba blinked, suddenly feeling like a stranger in his own home.

"No, I won't be eating. I'm going out." He glanced at Tea, saw her puzzled look but turned around and headed for the door. Originally he hadn't planned on it, but he found that he needed fresh air. Slipping on his boots he opened the door, prepared to leave when a bouncy brunette in a kitchen apron and oven mitt came into his line of vision.

"Where are you going?" Tea asked and he halted, looking at her.

Why did she care? Why did she want to know? No one else did, so why did she?

And why...

Did he want to tell her?

"Out," he replied and stepped through the door and out onto the steps. He heard Tea scrambling after him but he clamped his jaw, shoving his hands into his pockets and refusing to look back at her.

"Kaiba wait, what's going on? What's wrong—" she started but he glanced sharply over his shoulder at her, cutting her off with his icy glare.

"It's none of your business," he snapped and Tea stared at him before her striking blue eyes lit in anger.

"None of my business?" Tea thundered and flicked her bangs out of her eyes as she came down the steps.

Her hair was longer than usual...

He blinked and inwardly shook himself...

Since when did he pay attention to her hair?!

"You pigheaded jerk!" She shouted and took off the oven mitt and threw it at him. It connected with his chest and he blinked, staring at her as she glared at him while descending the steps. "Why do you have to be so cruel? So cold?! You have people who care about you and all you do is push them away! Then you blame them for your loneliness, your pain!" She halted in front of him and glared up into his eyes, "I don't know what went on between you and Mokuba but whatever it is, it's silly! Your brothers! And as for myself," she crossed her arms and her eyes flamed even more, "don't you _dare _tell me it's none of my business when I ask you what's wrong. We're friends and when your friend asks you what's wrong you better well tell them! Do you understand?" Tea asked her tone utterly firm and unyielding and Kaiba could only stare at her.

Finally he managed to nod...

"Good, now either you can come back inside and make up with Mokuba and eat some waffles, or you can go and act like a little kid and sulk." She turned and headed back up the steps, bending over to retrieve her oven mitt as she did so. "And remember who said who was acting like the _child._" She bit the last word off as she went back into the mansion and Kaiba stared after her retreating back.

"What just happened?" He asked himself quietly to the still morning air. He shook his head and raised his face to the sky, letting it bathe him in its early warmth.

He smirked...

She was right...

Tea Gardner, a klutz, a scatterbrained brunette had stripped him bare of his armor and exposed him, crushing him yet healing him all at once.

How odd...

"Stupid," he murmured and entered the house. As he went back to the kitchen he realized that he hadn't been angry at Mokuba, or Tea for that matter.

Who he'd been angry at was himself...

He'd been angry because of what his childhood had been like, and that despite his efforts he hadn't been able to give Mokuba what Tea had given them.

The feeling of being home...

Of being a family...

Of course Mokuba and he would always be a family, but there had always been something missing, an important part of the puzzle that he'd never been able to find or fill.

And Tea had...

He halted at the threshold once more and couldn't help but smile when he saw them all in the kitchen. Tea had removed her apron and was sitting at the small table with Mokuba, teasing him about something as they ate but halted when she saw Kaiba. Mokuba looked over hesitantly and Kaiba sighed. He stepped farther into the kitchen and halted beside them. Reaching out he clasped Mokuba on the shoulder and avoided Tea's slightly smug gaze.

"I'm sorry, Mokuba, I know you would like to go and play with your friends. Have Fredrick drop you off but make sure you're back here by six, understand?" Kaiba asked and Mokuba's eyes widened and he scrambled up onto the chair to throw his arms around Kaiba's neck.

"Thank you, big brother!" He shouted in his ear and Kaiba winced but patted his back. "Thank you, thank you!" He shouted while releasing Kabia's neck and leaping off of the chair. Before Kaiba could protest further Mokuba was out of the room in a flash and Kaiba shook his head. As he took the now vacant chair opposite Tea he saw her smug smile and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't be so smug, Gardner," he replied and Tea snorted while shrugging her shoulders innocently.

"Me, smug? I would never," Tea replied while standing and moving over to the counter to grab a bowl of fruit to stir but Kaiba saw her pink lips spread in another smile. He grunted a reply, which only made her grin even more, before reaching over for a clean plate. He picked up a slightly charred waffle but before he could say anything Tea wagged a wooden spoon at him from her place beside the counter.

"It's perfectly fine, and it wouldn't have been burnt had you not distracted me." She replied and he felt himself want to grin but resisted the urge.

"I'll keep that in mind then," he bit into the waffle after putting some syrup on it and found that despite the slightly burned edges it was quite good.

"See, told you so." Tea murmured as she took her seat across from him while placing the fruit on the table. She reached out and grabbed her glass filled with orange juice and took a sip while absent mindedly reaching for another waffle to fill her plate.

He blinked...

This was the first time he'd ate breakfast with anyone besides Mokuba...

It was nice...

"What?" Tea asked as she took another drink from her glass and Kaiba shook himself.

This was becoming too comfortable...

"I have to go finish up some of the coding," Kaiba quickly replied while standing, his food forgotten on his plate and Tea frowned.

"That can wait, you should eat that way you have energy," Tea gestured with her head but Kaiba shook his own.

"No, it can't wait," he quickly exited the kitchen before she could say more. He scaled the marble stairs and quickly escaped to his office. Closing the door behind him he took in a steadying breath, silently lecturing himself for his behavior.

He'd faced power hungry, greedy business men along with unimaginable threats from the other world and had regained his composure.

Had never been scared...

But now...

He was...

And what scared him was none of those things...

No...

It was a blue eyed brunette...

VVVV

Tea looked after Kaiba's retreating form and frowned. What was wrong with him now? She shrugged her shoulders and stood, picking up the plates and heading back over to the sink. As she did so a form filled the doorway.

"Oh dear, you don't have to do that," Gretchen said while wiping her hands on her apron. Tea snorted and shook her head.

"I'm the one who dirtied them, so I'll be the one who cleans them up." She started the water and added the soap. "Plus it keeps me busy," she added and smiled over her shoulder at the older woman. "Besides I'm sure you have a million and one other things that you have to do besides do the dishes that I dirtied." Gretchen chuckled at her words and rested her hand on her hip.

"You sure are a complex little thing," she murmured and Tea was the one to chuckle.

"I'll take that as a compliment then," he replied and Gretchen nodded her head.

"Alright then, thank you I really do appreciate it. If you should need any help I'll be up on the second story cleaning the drapes." Gretchen said as she left the kitchen and Tea nodded as she went back to doing them.

As she finished drying the last dish she heard someone enter the kitchen once more and she looked over her shoulder, expecting to see Gretchen but jolted at the sight before her. Amelia, her usually perfect blonde hair was ruffled and her eyes, always a fetching green were bright with anger and pain as tears smeared her mascara.

"Amelia?" Tea asked while putting the plate on the counter and wiping her hands on the towel, "What's wrong? Are you alright?" Tea went to reach out to touch her arm but Amelia's lip curled and she yanked her arm back.

"Don't act as if you care!" Amelia shrieked at her and Tea's eyes widened in surprise. "How could you?!" She shouted and took a threatening step towards her, "You knew I liked him but you still did as you wanted and ignored my feelings! You only care about yourself!" She shoved a pointy finger into Tea's ribs, causing her to wince in pain for they weren't completely healed yet.

"What are you talking about Amelia?" Tea asked while stepping back but the blonde only stepped closer to her.

"You know exactly what!" She shouted and her bottom lip quivered in anger. "He rejected me because he likes you! And you took advantage of that! How could you?! I'll never forgive you for this!" She whirled but halted at the threshold to the kitchen, "You'll regret it, I swear!" With that she left and Tea heard the front door slam. She poked her head out and watched Amelia stride down the stone path to the gates and once through them down the street.

What on Earth?

"Tea, Tea are you alright?" This time it was Gretchen as she appeared at the top of the marble steps, a light vacuum in her hand. "I heard screaming." She glanced at the door before looking back at Tea.

Tea nodded before she answered, "Yes, I'm fine." She murmured and frowned, confused. Suddenly, she didn't want to talk about what had just happened and shook her head, trying to rid it of what had occurred in the kitchen. "It was nothing," she murmured over her shoulder while heading back into the kitchen.

She went back to doing the dishes, her mind playing over and over what Amelia had just said.

She'd said that 'he liked her', well what had she meant by 'he'? Did she mean Kaiba? The idea made her jolt and nearly drop the knife she'd been drying off. She placed it on the counter and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. No, that couldn't be right, not in a million years would Kaiba like her. They were _barely _even friends so they couldn't be any more than that.

Could they?

She shook her head again and finished the dishes, forcing herself to think of anything _other _than that unsettling idea, but inevitably she did and was surprised when she found herself wanting to smile, found her heart wanting to beat faster inside her chest at the idea.

What was wrong with her?

Feeling like she needed fresh air she finished the last dish and leaving the towel on the kitchen counter went out to the gardens that surrounded the house. She raised her face to the sky, loving how the sun warmed her and took in a deep breath. She rolled her sleeves up and walked barefoot across the stones to a flower bed, kneeling down she touched the soft soil and let it fall through her fingers.

Finding a slightly bare patch she stretched out in it, the flowers surrounding her and closed her eyes. The gentle smells filled her nostrils and she sighed, her mind clearing and her body relaxing.

Now this...

Was heaven...

VVVV

Where on Earth could she be?

He stormed through the house, gnashing his teeth and running a hand through his hair. He'd been looking for her for _hours _and had searched the mansion from top to bottom but there was still no sign of her.

Did she go out? Was she hiding from him?

Ideas buzzed about inside his head as he entered the kitchen and looked about. It was late in the afternoon and Mokuba would soon be returning. He needed to find her so that they could get to work. Stepping out through the door he looked around and was about to turn to head back inside when he caught a glimpse of pale, creamy flesh.

He halted...

Froze...

His heart nearly stopped beating...

"Tea? Tea!" Kaiba shouted as he leapt across the few feet that separated them and landed in the flower bed. She jolted and sat up with a start, her limbs failing and Kaiba cursed as he avoided her kicking legs. "What do you think you're doing!" He thundered while seizing her about the shoulders and shaking her slightly, "You scared me to death!" He snapped and glared down at her, his heartbeat thumping madly in his ears. She blinked and stared up at him.

"What did I do?" She asked and he snorted.

"Who takes a nap in a _flower bed_?" He demanded and shook his head, grasping her about her shoulders and lifting her up and out of it. "I've been looking for you for hours and here I find you in the dirt," he shook his head as he carried her inside, "I swear you're such a pain!" He snapped while climbing the stairs and heading down the hall. "I am _not _going to let you get into the game smelling like compost, so wash up and do it quick." He instructed while pushing open the door to his bathroom and dumping her inside. "I'll have one of the maids get you fresh clothes," he eyed her surprised face and shook his head, "hurry it up," he snapped again and slammed the door.

He walked swiftly down the hall, halting when he saw the maid Gretchen watching him with wide eyes but he ignored it and straightened.

"She's going to need some fresh clothes," he instructed and Gretchen nodded while shuffling past him.

"Yes, Master Kaiba," she was gone a moment later and Kaiba shook his head, forcing himself to calm as he descended the hallways to the marble stairs. He halted when he saw Mokuba come bouncing in and scramble up them to stand beside him.

"Hey, big brother, I'm home just before six like you asked." He said and Kaiba nodded.

"Did you have fun?" she asked and Mokuba nodded.

"Yeah, thanks again for letting me go. I know you didn't want me to," he murmured and Kaiba glanced at him before looking down the hallway when he heard the shower being turned on.

"No, I didn't, but Gardner convinced me otherwise," he turned his eyes back to his little brother. "But no matter, I wanted you home because I need someone here that I can trust to look after things while we're gone. Can you do that?" Kaiba asked and watched as Mokuba's chest swelled as he straightened.

"Of course I can!" He said confidently and Kaiba smiled at him, ruffling his hair.

"Good, then once Tea get's done showering bring her down to the lab, will you?" He asked while turning and heading down the hallway to his office.

Mokuba nodded after him, "Will do!" He shouted while giving him a salute and Kaiba grinned, shaking his head. When he reached his office door he went to his computer and switching it on, copied the needed files and set the lock. Mokuba was the only one who knew the pass code and if things went well, he wouldn't need to use his computer after all.

That is...

If things went well...

He shut the computer off and grabbing his gaming disk and keypad left the office. As he headed down the hallway he halted when he saw Tea standing in a pair of practical jeans, boots and a shirt. Her hair was still wet and she was brushing it out of her eyes as Mokuba led her down the hallway towards him.

"Perfect," he turned and waved at them to follow after him. "Follow me," he lead them farther down the hallway to a small door. Pressing the keypad he plugged in the needed code and glanced over his shoulder to see Tea's brows furrow in confusion.

"What's with the secret door?" Tea asked as they stepped into a steel elevator and Kaiba smirked at her as he reached out and hit the only button. The doors slid close and they began to descend before he replied.

"I remember all too well what happened the last time I entered a virtual world where we were trapped there. I won't make the same mistake of people knowing where it is while we're in there." He looked down at Mokuba and winked. "That's why we're going to have the best security possible," he murmured and Mokuba chuckled while playfully swatting at Kaiba's arm.

"Definitely," he said with a smile and beamed up at Tea. "Don't' worry, I'll look after you guys while you're in the game." Tea nodded but glanced at Kaiba as the doors opened. He didn't look at her but stepped forward into the steel enforced lab. Large monitoring screens lined the far wall and three dome shaped pods filled the room. Control panels surrounded them and Kaiba heard Tea and Mokuba following after him as he walked, his shoes thudding against the steel.

"Wow," was all Tea could manage to say and Kaiba smiled, glad that she'd been knocked speechless, however temporary it might be.

"Come here, Mokuba," Kaiba said while gesturing to his brother and they halted in front of the larger monitoring screens. He handed him the disk drive and bent his head. "This will tell you everything you need to know, alright?" Kaiba watched as Mokuba nodded and he dipped his head in return. Straightening he crossed over to one of the pods and gestured with his head to the one beside him. "Get in," he commanded and Tea frowned, but slowly stepped forward to look at the pod.

"At least it looks comfortable," she murmured and Kaiba snorted as he climbed inside.

"Of course it would be comfortable," he lowered himself inside it and started plugging in the needed data. Tea eyed him but did the same as he. The top of the pod hissed and closed over them and Kaiba finished plugging in the needed data.

"Once Mokuba flips that switch, we'll be plugged into the game, understand?" Kaiba said to Tea over the intercom and she nodded while adjusting herself in the seat.

"Alright, ready." She nodded her head and Kaiba returned it before giving a thumbs up to Mokuba. Mokuba returned it and smiled.

"Good luck, guys!" He said to them and flipped the switch.

And the world erupted in light...

VVVV

AUTHOR NOTE: Chapter Five! Thanks for all the reviews and followers, please keep on reviewing! I love reading them and hearing about what you guys think!


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